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Delhi Indoor Air Crisis Spurs AIIMS HEPA Pilot After Tests Find Hospitals, Classrooms Hazardous

AIIMS prepares a HEPA pilot after independent readings showed hazardous PM2.5 inside key public spaces.

Overview

  • A Hindustan Times week-long exercise recorded indoor PM2.5 typically in the 200–300 µg/m³ range at an AIIMS ward and a Rohini school, with spikes above 400 µg/m³, while a home room with a purifier fell to 18 µg/m³.
  • AIIMS medical superintendent Dr. Nirupama Madan said experts have been engaged to design measures and that a pilot to install HEPA filtration in general wards is likely in the coming months.
  • Over 100 senior doctors at a Delhi session warned that polluted indoor air is raising infection risks and slowing recovery in healthcare settings.
  • A German air scientist at the event said floor-standing purifiers often underperform in busy hospitals and recommended ceiling-mounted systems for better circulation in critical zones.
  • Delhi ministers outlined a multi-year airshed plan that includes expanding buses and Metro, stronger dust and construction controls, and a phased rollout of classroom purifiers, while experts cautioned indoor fixes cannot substitute for cleaner outdoor air.