DELUSIONAL TAKE: “Aravalli Hills Causing Pollution In Delhi”- Journalist Rajat Sharma

Key Points:

As the nation’s capital chokes under a dense blanket of air pollution, a new theory about the root cause of Delhi’s air crisis has been introduced by India’s TV news channels.

New Delhi has been in the grip of hazardous AQI levels for weeks, with readings even crossing the 1,000 mark. In a recent development addressing the long-standing pollution crisis, the TV channels have once again played a role in justifying the air hazard with their diabolical theories. 

According to Indian journalist Rajat Sharma, Delhi’s rising pollution is caused by the Aravalli Range, India’s oldest mountain belt, which harbours thousands of trees. Rajat Sharma’s statement on national television invited a large amount of trolling and backlash for blaming a green mountain range for air pollution in the heart of India.

He enlightened his viewers with a lesson in geography on his prime-time show Aaj Ki Baat, where he claimed that Delhi’s pollution crisis is caused by its geography. He compared Delhi’s positioning and shape to a bowl and stated that the city is surrounded by the Aravalli Range on three sides. Sharma further explained that the toxic air is unable to disperse easily due to this geographical setting.

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“Therefore, the problem of pollution in Delhi cannot be solved in one year or during any particular season,” said Rajat Sharma.

On December 22, 2025, Delhi’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category, with low to very poor visibility recorded across multiple areas. The choking air and reduced visibility even prompted the Indira Gandhi International Airport to issue an advisory for passengers. The airport reportedly requested passengers to stay in touch with their respective airlines and remain updated on flight information.

The recent linking of the Aravalli Range to Delhi’s air pollution emerged after a Supreme Court ruling on November 20, 2025, which defined that only hills above 100 metres in height, or groups of hills located within a range of 500 metres, would be recognised as part of one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.

Many environmentalists have come forward raising serious concerns, indicating that the ruling could lead to a majority of the range losing its legal protection. As a result, these green lungs could become sites for mining, construction, or even deforestation.

Sharma’s newly introduced hypothesis invited heaps of trolling, with many calling out the double standards of the TV channels. He has previously blamed the Kejriwal government when air pollution had the national capital at its chokehold. “People who live in Delhi also pay their taxes. They are also human. What have they done to deserve this, which has forced them to breathe the toxic air of Delhi?” said Rajat Sharma. 

Rajat Sharma Invites Trolling from Netizens

Netizens flooded the comment sections of various posts with sarcastic remarks, mockingly suggesting that the Himalayas be removed from the face of the planet to curb Delhi’s AQI. “Due to the Himalayas, clean air from Kunming and Tibet is not coming into Dilli, which could have reduced the AQI. Remove the Himalayas by selling them to Mr A and watch Dilli become healthy once again,” wrote one user.

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Another user on X drew a comparison with hill stations, stating that if hills were indeed the cause of pollution, then hill stations would also be home to “gas chambers.”

Some even blamed the so-called “studio logic” for justifying the Supreme Court’s ruling and ignoring the future repercussions of the decision. They said, “the Aravallis survived millions of years, but studio logic wants them gone in one debate!”

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