Startup founder cuts Delhi visit short, warns residents to leave amid toxic air

Delhi’s air quality has once again come under severe scrutiny as pollution levels fluctuate between “poor” and “severe”, leaving residents and visitors increasingly alarmed. The hazardous conditions, now an annual feature, are prompting many arriving from cleaner international cities to report immediate physical discomfort.

Among them is Kunal Kushwaha, founder of WeMakeDevs, who cut short his trip to the capital and took to X (formerly Twitter) to detail his experience. His post, captioned starkly with, “Leave Delhi, go in debt if you have to,” quickly gained traction online.

Leave Delhi, go in debt if you have to.

I used to think, how bad can the AQI really be for people in Delhi? I knew it was bad, but I never understood the scale because I didn’t feel it as drastically. I grew up in Delhi, studied here, and never felt a huge difference. You see… pic.twitter.com/OV5RVE351C

— Kunal Kushwaha (@kunalstwt) November 22, 2025

Kushwaha noted that although he grew up and studied in Delhi, he never fully grasped the toll the pollution took on his body. Seeing locals walking mask-free or jogging at dawn had reinforced the notion that the Delhi’s poor air quality was troubling but tolerable.

His perspective shifted dramatically after spending several years in London breathing cleaner air. Upon landing in Delhi, he wrote, he could immediately taste and smell the pollution. Even moderate readings were overwhelming. “Even AQI 200 hit me hard: sore throat, and a feeling like needles in my lungs,” he said, adding that he could “feel the pollution” entering his body—an intensity he had never experienced in his youth.

Issuing a blunt warning to residents, Kushwaha urged those who could to leave the city for the sake of their health. “It’s a crisis. I’ve cut my trip short and I’m leaving this city tomorrow,” he wrote, reinforcing the growing concern over Delhi’s increasingly unlivable air.