Delhi Air Pollution Crisis: Citizens Storm India Gate, Demand Clean Air And Urgent Action As City Gasps For Breath

After hitting a hazardous Air Quality Index (AQI) of 391 on Sunday morning, Delhi’s pollution levels showed a slight improvement on Monday, with the AQI reading 346 at 8 a.m. Despite this minor drop, the city’s air continues to remain trapped in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ category .

Meanwhile, citizens’ frustration reached the streets as protesters gathered at India Gate on Sunday, demanding immediate government action to curb the worsening air pollution.

Air Quality Still In The Red Zone

According to the Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality forecasting, stubble burning was responsible for around 5% of Delhi’s pollution. Neighbouring areas like Noida, Ghaziabad, and Greater Noida also witnessed similar smoggy conditions.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s AQI stood at 370 at 4 p.m. on Sunday, placing the capital firmly in the ‘red zone’.

By Monday morning, all monitoring stations in Delhi recorded AQI levels above 300, with several areas crossing 350 and some nearing 400, indicating highly toxic air. Localities such as Rohini and Nehru Nagar were among the worst affected, touching levels close to 400.

AQI Readings Across Delhi

Here are the air quality figures from various monitoring stations on Monday morning:

Anand Vihar: 379

Ashok Vihar: 367

CRRI Mathura Road: 365

Dwarka Sector 8: 356

ITO: 376

Jahangirpuri: 389

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: 316

Lodhi Road: 314

Mandir Marg: 344

Mundka: 378

Narela: 368

Nehru Nagar: 387

North Campus (DU): 351

Okhla Phase 2: 348

Patparganj: 376

Punjabi Bagh: 324

Pusa: 338

RK Puram: 363

Rohini: 390

Shadipur: 327

Sirifort: 357

Vivek Vihar: 364

Despite slight variations, these numbers underline the severe air crisis engulfing the city.

Demand Of Right To Clean Air

In response to the worsening air quality, dozens of citizens, including parents and environmental activists, staged a protest at India Gate on Sunday. Many mothers attended with their children, calling for urgent action to protect public health.

Furthermore, Environmental activist Bhavreen Khandari stated, “We want to meet our elected officials. We had sought an appointment with the chief minister but were refused. So many parents are here because their children are suffering.”

Highlighting the growing health emergency, she added, “Every third child already has damaged lungs; they will live nearly 10 years less than those growing up in cleaner air.” Protesters expressed anger over the government’s inaction and political blame game, demanding strict and sustained measures to ensure the basic right to breathe clean air.

Another protester recalled, “During (former chief minister) Sheila Dikshit’s term, Delhi was known as a green capital. Today, it ranks among the most polluted cities in the world. Politicians keep blaming each other instead of taking responsibility.”

Police Detain Protesters; Leaders React

Police intervened at the protest site, detaining several participants for assembling without prior permission. Moreover, a senior police officer stated, “There was no permission to hold a protest at India Gate. To maintain law and order and ensure there is no obstruction in security arrangements, some people were detained.”

DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla clarified that the detentions were preventive in nature.

Reacting to the incident, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the government’s handling of both the pollution crisis and the citizens’ protest. He said, “The right to clean air is a basic human right. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by our Constitution. Why are citizens who have been peacefully demanding clean air being treated like criminals?”

“Air pollution is affecting crores of Indians, harming our children and the future of our nation. But the government which came to power through vote chori simply doesn’t care, nor is it even attempting to solve this crisis. We need to take decisive action on air pollution right now instead of attacking citizens asking for clean air,” he added.

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