📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
Health
Delhi's AQI spikes to 511, air quality as harmful as smoking 375 cigarettes a month
✍️ Livemint
🗓 15 Nov 2026, 03:58 PM
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Delhi's air quality index surged to 511, a level equated by experts to smoking 375 cigarettes each month, heightening concerns over asthma and heart‑related illnesses.
The capital recorded an Air Quality Index of 511, a figure that places the city's atmosphere in the hazardous range. Health analysts have warned that breathing this level of polluted air is comparable to smoking roughly 375 cigarettes over a month. Such exposure significantly raises the probability of respiratory conditions like asthma and can aggravate cardiovascular problems.
City officials have issued health advisories, urging residents to limit outdoor activities, especially those with pre‑existing heart or lung conditions. Schools and workplaces are being asked to consider indoor arrangements where feasible.
Experts stress that prolonged exposure to such extreme pollution can have lasting effects on public health, calling for immediate measures to curb emissions and improve air quality monitoring.
The situation underscores the urgent need for coordinated action among policymakers, industry, and citizens to address the underlying causes of Delhi's recurring smog episodes.
Authorities continue to monitor the AQI and will update the public as the situation evolves.
City officials have issued health advisories, urging residents to limit outdoor activities, especially those with pre‑existing heart or lung conditions. Schools and workplaces are being asked to consider indoor arrangements where feasible.
Experts stress that prolonged exposure to such extreme pollution can have lasting effects on public health, calling for immediate measures to curb emissions and improve air quality monitoring.
The situation underscores the urgent need for coordinated action among policymakers, industry, and citizens to address the underlying causes of Delhi's recurring smog episodes.
Authorities continue to monitor the AQI and will update the public as the situation evolves.