Delhi Pollution: Around 34.7 million of Delhi residents are on the track to lose 11.9 years of life expectancy due to severe air quality index (AQI).
According to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) published by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute, Delhi is the world’s most polluted megacity of the world. The study revealed the average particulate pollution levels in Delhi stand at 126.5 μg/m3, which is a staggering 25 times more than guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO).
It was also revealed that more than 17,000 deaths every year happen in Delhi because of Delhi pollution. Furthermore, 8 in 10 Delhi households had faced mild to severe health issues in the last few months because of poor AQI, resulting in low life expectancy.
Air Pollution: North India Worst Hit
It was disclosed by the study that residents of Bihar, Delhi, Chandigarh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana reside in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level is a massive 17.4 times higher than the WHO limits.
Poor AQI And Life Expectancy
On November 9, thousands of students, activists, and young people gathered in front of the India Gate monument to protest against Delhi’s poor air quality and declining life expectancy.
Starting in October, farmers in Haryana and Punjab burn crop residue to clear their fields and prepare for the next sowing, sending waves of acrid smoke into Delhi’s atmosphere.
Calculated Example–Air Pollution
The total life years lost across all residents of Delhi (34.7 million population as of 2025), the total loss of life years across all Delhi residents equals approximately 284 million years (34,665,600 people × 8.2 years), compared to cleaner air standards.
Cigarette Equivalence Formula–AQI And Life Expectancy
The average PM2.5 of 126.5 μg/m³ in Delhi translates to approximately 5-6 cigarettes daily year-round (126.5 / 22 ≈ 5.75) but peaks during winter smog reach to 400-1000+ μg/m³, equaling 18-45 cigarettes per day.
Individual Annual Impact–AQI And Life Expectancy
An average resident in Delhi “smokes” 2,000-10,000 cigarettes every year via air (using the daily average of 5-25), which far exceeds a pack-a-day smoker’s 7,300.
GRAP IV in Delhi–Air Pollution
On December 13, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-IV was invoked by authorities as AQI worsened to hazardous levels.
Under GRAP-IV, the authorities will ban the entry of BS-IV trucks into the capital city, except those providing essential services or carrying essential commodities. They will also impose a complete ban on demolition and construction activities. This will include work on over-bridges, highways, roads, flyovers, telecom infrastructure projects, pipelines, and power transmission lines.
Municipal, public, and private offices will operate at 50 percent capacity, while the remaining staff will work from home. The guidelines also require schools in Delhi and NCR to conduct classes for students of Classes VI to IX and Class XI in hybrid mode.
