Pollution spike triggers protest at Jantar Mantar

New Delhi: With Delhi’s air quality sinking once again into the ‘very poor’ category, public anger spilled onto the streets on Tuesday as students, activists and residents assembled at Jantar Mantar demanding immediate government intervention. The protest came on a day when the city’s AQI climbed to 374, signalling hazardous conditions for millions.

Participants many wearing masks and carrying oxygen canisters as symbols of their distress said they had reached a point of desperation. A young protester shared that for weeks she had been waking up with breathing discomfort, adding that the “toxic air has turned survival itself into a challenge.” Others said they feared that another season of unchecked pollution would push Delhi deeper into a public health emergency.

Several speakers criticised successive governments for failing to deliver long-term solutions even as scientific data repeatedly established the severity of the situation. They cited pollution hot spots such as Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar and parts of Haryana that continue to add to Delhi’s air burden through farm fires and industrial emissions.

Experts referenced in recent environmental assessments noted that residential emissions constitute nearly half of Delhi’s pollution load, while stubble burning in neighbouring states remains a significant seasonal contributor. Protesters argued that despite this information being widely available, enforcement remains weak on the ground.

The gathering called for cleaner public transport, crackdown on industrial violators and a coordinated crop-management strategy. “We are not demanding anything new,” a student said. “We are simply asking for our right to breathe and our right to live.”