Delhi founder opens door, indoor AQI spikes from 97 to 500 within a minute: ‘Life has become hell in NCR’
Delhi’s worsening air quality has once again hit home for many residents this week, as a founder’s X (formerly Twitter) post vividly captured just how toxic the air has become. Since Diwali, Delhi NCR’s AQI has remained in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ range.(@kapildhama/X) Kapil Dhama, Founder of Options360, shared that he runs four air purifiers round the clock in his house. Yet, when he opened his main door for just a moment, the air quality reading inside jumped dramatically from around 97 to 500 AQI within a minute. “4 purifiers running 24×7 at home. Life has become hell in NCR,” the caption of the post reads. Air turns toxic instantly:In the short video, the founder opens his main door and points the camera at a running air purifier. The display first shows a reading of 97, suggesting the air inside is clean and safe to breathe. But within moments of leaving the door open, the numbers surge past 500, showing a sudden rise in pollution levels. Check out the video here: The post was shared on November 1, 2025, and since then has gained 6.1 lakh views and numerous comments. Here’s how people reacted to the video:X users reacted strongly to the video, calling it a shocking reminder of how severe Delhi’s pollution has become. One of the users commented, “It has escalated after Deepavali.” A second user commented, “While I’m running it on auto and enjoying sub-20 AQI in my hometown, you should seriously consider moving if your situation allows.” “This is a chilling glimpse into the future of urban living,” another user commented. Air quality remains poor:Since Diwali, the Air Quality Index (AQI) across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has stayed in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ category. On Saturday, Delhi’s air quality continued to be classified as ‘poor’, with an AQI reading of 233 at 7 am. A thick layer of smog could be seen covering the city, according to data from the Sameer app developed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
