As New Delhi’s air turns toxic again, people complain of unaffordable air purification products

As New Delhi’s air turns toxic again, people complain of unaffordable air purification products | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan Winter is just getting started, but the air quality in India’s national capital has already deteriorated to ‘very poor’ category, and the city is bracing for a harsh, polluted winter. Against this backdrop, a survey of over 51,000 respondents across 212 districts in the country paints a bleaker picture.According to a survey by LocalCircles, around 89% of respondents said that the government has not done enough to make pollution-coping products affordable, with 78% stating that official measures have been inadequate. Nearly 88% of air purifier users have urged the government to standardise replacement filters to improve availability and lower costs.Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 331 on November 3, 2026, prompting authorities to invoke Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).Beyond Delhi, real-time rankings placed 22 of the world’s 25 most polluted cities in India, with Mumbai also ranking third globally among major metropolises. Amid heightened respiratory health concerns, air purifiers have transitioned from niche luxury products into essential household appliances.However, severe supply shortages of model-specific HEPA replacement filters during peak winter leave many appliances unusable. “Current Indian Standards and recent Quality Control Orders focus exclusively on electrical safety and clean air delivery rates rather than filter interchangeability, [making] consumers unable to locate specific model filters [and forcing them] to purchase entirely new devices,” the survey said.Affordability also remains another key hurdle. Despite observations from the Delhi High Court and recommendations from a Parliamentary Standing Committee to reduce the 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on purifiers and HEPA filters to 5%, the GST Fitment Committee maintained the 18% levy.Respondents have urged the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Department of Consumer Affairs to enforce filter standardisation across manufacturers, while pressing the GST Council to provide tax relief for clean indoor air appliances. Published - November 03, 2026 03:05 pm IST