A video comparing the air quality of Vienna and Delhi has gone viral on social media. The clip, shot by Instagram user Lakshay Arora from an airplane, shows a striking contrast between Vienna’s clear blue skies and Delhi’s thick, grey smog.
Arora filmed the visuals while flying from Vienna to Delhi and shared them side by side. “What my phone captured when I was travelling from Vienna, Austria, to Delhi, India felt like travelling from 8K resolution to blurred 90s camera quality due to high pollution,” he wrote in his post.
The video begins with stunning, crisp aerial shots of Vienna’s landscape, clear skies, winding rivers, and visible mountain ranges. As the plane approaches Delhi, the view changes dramatically. The scene turns murky, with dense smog reducing visibility and the skyline barely distinguishable.
The sharp difference between the two cities has triggered widespread reactions online. Many users expressed alarm and frustration over Delhi’s deteriorating air quality.
“This is truly scary and alarming! I fail to understand why people aren’t taking it seriously,” one user commented. Another wrote, “Populated city or not, pollution shouldn’t happen at this scale. It’s not slightly smoggy, it looks like a nuke went off.”
Some also linked pollution to lifestyle choices, with one user saying, “Reason why people are moving to Dubai… safety, no tax, security, air quality, high standards of living.”
Delhi’s air pollution usually spikes in winter due to several factors, including stubble burning in nearby states, industrial emissions, vehicular smoke, and low wind speeds that trap pollutants. According to recent data, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has remained in the “very poor” category for several days.
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
