(MENAFN- Live Mint) Former Xiaomi India head Manu Kumar Jain, who now serves as India CEO of Abu Dhabi–based tech group G42, has shared a worrying account of his short visit to Delhi-one that left him struggling with the city's deteriorating air quality.

In a post on X, Jain shared a photo of himself inside a flight wearing a mask and described how the capital's pollution affected him within hours.“Was in Delhi for a day for some important meetings, and realised how out of practice I am with the air pollution here,” he wrote.

Also Read | Delhi air pollution crisis: Does India have a health adaptation plan?

Jain said he began experiencing symptoms almost immediately.“Within a few hours my eyes were watering, throat was burning, I kept coughing and even had a mild headache,” he said, adding that he had forgotten his N95 mask, which worsened the impact.

The tech executive, who grew up in Meerut and studied at IIT Delhi, added that the pollution felt“personal.”“I love this place-its energy, people, food, and so much more,” he wrote.

Jain said he eventually took an earlier flight out of the city.“Experiences like this are a reminder that we still have a long way to go on air quality,” he added.

Also Read | Delhi Pollution: 'HELP US BREATHE', People Ask Govt To Fix Delhi's Air

Clarifying that he was“not blaming anyone,” Jain urged collective responsibility:“All of us are to be blamed for this. I sincerely hope we can turn this around and make a real change for our kids-so they can grow up breathing cleaner air.”

Check out his post here:

His post comes on a day when Delhi woke up to a thick layer of smog. On Friday morning, the city's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category at 373, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Data on the CPCB's Sameer app showed that 13 of the 39 monitoring stations reported AQI levels in the 'severe' category, with Wazirpur recording a hazardous 442.

MENAFN21112025007365015876ID1110377445