One of the few active actors based in the Capital who regularly shuttles between cities for work, Adil Hussain says the worsening AQI situation (hovering over 400 this week) has left residents with little choice. 

“What do you do? There are millions of people in Delhi, and not everybody has the resources to buy air purifiers. So one is forced to accept it. But it’s the job of the authorities to keep citizens healthy and secure from every kind of threat, and this is a major one,” he says, adding, “We are wearing masks inside the house, and that should not be the case.”

While relocating his family is not an option right now, Adil points out how systemic the problem is: “Schools were open, so you couldn’t take children away till now. And for 90% of the population, moving out isn’t even a possibility.”

He also highlights the sharp inequality in how people cope with the crisis: “We have two air purifiers at home. They are expensive — not just to buy, but to run because of electricity costs. The woman who comes to help us at home doesn’t have an air purifier. She has two children. It feels wrong.”