Delhi AQI: Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has become a daily topic of concern, with worsening pollution levels forcing residents to invest in air purifiers just to breathe safely indoors. But even that relief seems fragile, as one startup founder showed on video how quickly indoor air quality deteriorates the moment you open the door and air seeps in.
‘Life has become hell in NCR’
“4 purifier running 24×7 at home,” Kapil Dhama, Founder of Options360, claimed on X (formerly Twitter).
He compared the air purifier readings when the door was open and closed, adding, “Life has become hell in NCR.”
Alongside, he also shared a startling video to show his air purifier’s readings shoot up seconds after he opened the main door of his house.
What does the video show?
The now-viral video opens with the air purifier’s display showing a reading of 97. As Dhama walks up to his main door and opens it, the number begins to climb rapidly, and it touches 177 within seconds. It dips briefly only to spike up to 289, then 300, and finally surges past 500 in the blink of an eye, showing just how toxic the air outside has become.
4 purifier running 24×7 at home
— Kapil Dhama (@kapildhama) November 1, 2025
Reading while all doors are closed – 100
Just opened main door and touched – 500
Life become hell in NCR and govt is busy in bihar campaign. pic.twitter.com/7b5Zg3QXea
Delhi AQI slips into ‘very poor’ category
On November 1, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 303, placing it in the “very poor” category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 0-50 is considered “good”, 51-100 is “satisfactory”, 101-200 is “moderate”, 201-300 is “poor”, 301-400 is “very poor”, and 401-500 falls under the “severe” category.
“The air quality is very likely to remain in the Very Poor category from 02.11.2025 to 04.11.2025,” the Centre’s air quality bulletin read on Saturday.
It predicted, “The outlook for the subsequent 6 Days: The air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category.”
India Gate fades from view
On Saturday evening, the air quality plunged to dangerous levels, with smog so dense that even India Gate faded from view, and its surrounding areas were barely visible.
Amid worsening air pollution, the Delhi government has banned the entry of old commercial and diesel vehicles from other states. Trucks, pickups, and BS-III or older diesel vehicles will no longer be allowed into the city. To enforce the rule, 23 inspection teams from the Transport Department and Traffic Police have been deployed at key entry points such as Kundli, Tikri, Rajokri, Aya Nagar, and Kalindi Kunj.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa inspected pollution-control measures at Anand Vihar, one of the city’s most affected areas. He said that there are 13 pollution hotspots across Delhi and assured that the government is closely monitoring and addressing each of them.
“There are 13 main hotspots where pollution is very high, and our government is continuously working on those areas,” he said, before adding, “All hotspots are being extra-monitored.”
“Today, we inspected the Anand Vihar bus stop; after that, we will visit Shalimar Bagh and Ashok Vihar in North Delhi. Our goal is to address the traffic congestion at these hotspots, the lack of road management, and the degraded infrastructure there,” he further said, per the news agency ANI.
He also said that the government is installing permanent water sprinklers in these hotspots.
