Protesters demand clean air amid worsening pollution; 5 detained

Five persons were detained on Sunday when a group of 50-60 protesters gathered at India Gate to highlight Delhi’s worsening air quality and demand action against the pollution crisis.

The protest began around 4 p.m. and continued for more than two hours despite repeated interventions and forceful dispersal attempts by the police. “We gathered at India Gate for a peaceful protest aimed at drawing the Delhi government’s attention to the worsening air quality. Instead of listening to our concerns, the police brutally manhandled our members and tried to suppress the agitation,” said Kranti, from Himkhand, one of the participating groups.

Heavy deployment

The protesters said that five among them were detained and taken to the Parliament Street police station. Personnel from the local police station, along with the CRPF’s Rapid Action Force, were deployed in large numbers around the site. “We were putting forth our demands peacefully. But the heavy deployment tried to restrict our movement and physically removed several members from the protest site. Many of our female members were also manhandled by male officers,” said another participant. A similar anti-pollution protest was held on November 9.

Even as the protest unfolded, the Capital’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday and is expected to stay at similar levels for the next six days.

No immediate relief

Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) at 4 p.m. stood at 391, up from 370 a day earlier, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Neighbouring cities recorded even worse conditions, with Noida, Hapur and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh reporting ‘severe’ air quality, a level known to affect even healthy individuals and impact people with existing respiratory or cardiac conditions.

An AQI between 301 and 400 is categorised as ‘very poor’, while readings between 401 and 500 fall under the ‘severe’ category.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has predicted that the Capital will remain in the ‘very poor’ category between November 24 and 25.

‘Action on every front’

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that 271 water sprinklers were operating round the clock, spraying nearly one lakh litres of treated water across 2,000 km of roads and major hotspots. “For pollution control, our teams are engaged in on-ground action on every front and are working with full readiness,” she wrote on X, calling it part of Delhi’s “war against pollution”.

The protest came a day after the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) revised the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), tightening emergency measures.

Delhi-NCR has been under Stage III of GRAP since November 11. The CAQM has now directed governments to consider allowing public, municipal, and private offices to function with 50% staff on site and the rest working from home, a provision earlier reserved for Stage IV.