Jan 23, 2026: Despite rain, Republic Day venue records ‘very poor’ AQI

Preparations for the Republic Day parade are in full swing at Kartavya Path, where thousands are expected to gather. But even as light rain swept across Delhi, air quality at the venue remained alarming.

The nearest official monitoring station recorded an AQI of 263, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. (Find AQI data on Dataful here.) Our independent air monitor, however, showed a much worse reading of 388 — firmly in the ‘very poor’ range.

In other words, not even the rain has brought relief.

The scale of India’s air crisis was recently underscored by former IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath, who noted that the economic damage caused by air pollution outweighs the impact of tariffs imposed so far.

So how is the Union government addressing the problem? Watch.

This show is part of a collaborative campaign to tackle air pollution. Here’s how you can join the Fight To Breathe. Click here to power this campaign.