Delhi's 'severe' air quality, earthquake on one day trigger meme fest on social media

Friday night became a case of "double trouble" as they had to choose between staying inside due to pollution and leaving their houses owing to the earthquake. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeded the "400" danger mark.

Strong tremors were felt throughout northern India, including the Delhi-NCR area, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake rocked Nepal on Friday night. The earthquake struck at 11:32 p.m. at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). Residents of high-rise buildings rushed to the streets as the tremors continued for more than a minute.

This seismic event made matters worse for Delhiites, who were already struggling with skyrocketing air pollution levels; in certain regions, the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeded the "400" danger line on a scale of 500.

As a result, Friday night became a situation of "double trouble" for the locals, who had to choose between staying inside due to pollution and leaving their houses because of the earthquake.

They used humour to address this conundrum, creating and disseminating memes and jokes on the internet to humorously draw attention to the difficulties Delhiites confront.

Residents of New Delhi are still extremely concerned about the dangerous air quality, even though the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been aggressively putting anti-pollution measures into action, including as dust emission control, green road paving, rubbish detection patrols, and vehicle emission control.

Though local officials did not immediately report casualties or serious damage, the earthquake's shocks were felt across North India, just when it appeared like nature could not give any more obstacles.