Speaking on Delhi’s severe air quality index levels, environmentalist Jai Dhar Gupta argued that farm fires are being scapegoated year after year, noting that ‘even at its worst, farm fires do not contribute more than 10 to 13%’ of Delhi’s pollution mix. Gupta emphasized that the administration must address local emissions rather than looking outside Delhi whenever AQI spikes past 300. Criticizing both present and past governments, he termed the failure to declare a public health emergency, issue health advisories, and mandate N95 masks a major failure to protect public health and human life.
