To protect against Delhi’s worsening air pollution,
neurologist Dr Chawla offers 5 ways, including staying indoors, using
N95 masks, and more tips.
Air pollution has become a major concern for those living in North
India, particularly in Delhi. Several parts of Delhi have been recording pollution levels
in the ‘severe’ category. Amid this, it is essential to adopt measures
to protect yourself and your family from toxic air pollution.
Dr Rahul Chawla, a neurologist trained at AIIMS, shared 5 ways to protect yourself from Delhi’s air pollution in an Instagram post on November 4. Sharing these measures, Dr Chawla criticised, “While Beijing’s AQI dropped from 754 (2013) to just 47 (2025) after strict climate action, Delhi’s air is getting worse every winter. Schools are shutting, visibility is zero, and people are literally breathing poison. Delhi is converting into a gas chamber. If lockdowns were for COVID, maybe the next one will be for air pollution.”
Here are the 5 measures he suggested in the post:
How to stay safe from Delhi’s air pollution
The five key measures Dr Chawla offered began with recommendations to
remain indoors as much as possible, avoiding opening windows before the
afternoon, and using an N95 mask, as the city has become a ‘gas chamber.’ So, to protect yourself and
your family from the poisonous air present in North India, especially
Delhi, definitely do these five things:
1. Stay indoors as much as possible
Keep
your house windows and doors closed at all times and stay indoors as
much as possible, Dr Chawla suggested. “You can open the windows and
doors only between 1 and 3 PM in the day, when you feel that the sun is
bright, so that the house gets proper ventilation,” he suggested.
Furthermore,
he advised against cleaning inside the house using a dry cloth.
Instead, he suggested using a wet cloth so that the dust does not rise.
“Please do not light up things inside the house like burning dhoop
(incense for worship), agarbatti (incense sticks), or anything else that
causes excessive smoke,” he advised.
2. Use an N95 mask
Next, he recommended using an N95 mask if
you are stepping out of the house. The neurologist added, “If there are
elderly people at home, do not let them go for morning walks or evening
walks, and if there are children, do not let them play in the park.
Exercise at home. You can go up and down the stairs. You can do yoga. If
you have a treadmill or a stationary bike at home, you can exercise
with it. You can do weightlifting.”
3. Get an air purifier
“If you can afford an air purifier,
buy one. But keep in mind that the air purifier you are buying should be
appropriate for the size of your room,” the neurologist advised.
4. Work from home
The neurologist also emphasised that if you work in a corporate office and your company permits it, consider working from home.
5. Leave Delhi for a while
Lastly,
the neurologist suggested. if you can afford it and your profession
allows working from home, then leave the poisonous air of Delhi for a
few weeks. “Because this city has become a gas chamber,” he warned.
