‘My lungs are definitely not ready for this’ — Pollution in Delhi is so severe that man is shocked when he arrives in SG

SINGAPORE: The air pollution in Delhi has been intense lately, to the point that India’s Supreme Court warned last Thursday (Nov 13) that it could cause “permanent damage” to one’s health.

The city’s air quality index (AQI) breached the 400 mark on Nov 11, and there have been several days since then when it stayed in the “hazardous” range.

While authorities have set in motion a number of measures to mitigate the issue, including keeping students at home to do their schooling online, it should come as no surprise that one man’s posts on X went viral when he decided to forego the air pollution in Delhi for the clearer skies of Singapore, and later Sydney.

On Nov 15 (Saturday), Naman Jain @JainNaman267 posted a photo of a Singapore Airlines flight amidst a background of hazy skies, captioning it “Byee Delhi.”

His next post was of the clear Singapore skyline at night, where he wrote, “Hello Singapore, my lungs are definitely not ready for this 400 -> 40 AQI transition.”

The post has since gone viral, and Mr Naman’s astonishment may have been heightened further because it was his first time in the Little Red Dot.

Some commenters appeared to jump on the bandwagon, with one posting screenshots of the air quality in Toronto, which encouraged people to enjoy their usual outdoor activities. Another, posted a photo from Liverpool, where the commenter had been last week, and the “GDP per capita (is) $50K and no one really drives and the air is clean.”

An X user, meanwhile, bluntly characterised Mr Naman’s travel as a “H***hole to heaven transition.” Ouch.

“Must feel good to be out of Delhi,” observed another.

By Sunday (Nov 16), he posted yet another picture, this time from Sydney. His photo of the famed Opera House and its surroundings on a clear day was impressive indeed.

Meanwhile, Delhi continues to suffer from air pollution woes. On Saturday, its AQI was at 386, and on Sunday it was at 385, both of which are in the hazardous category.

For air quality to be severe, a location’s AQI must reach between 300 to be deemed hazardous, while 201 to 300 is considered very unhealthy. A reading of 151 to 200 is unhealthy, and 101 to 150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Meanwhile, 51 to 100 is moderate, and between 0 and 50 is considered good.

Singapore’s AQI varies throughout the year, but is usually between 40 and 60, which is in the moderate range. However, people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution may want to limit outdoor exertion. /TISG

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