The post-Diwali pollution smog has engulfed all of north India, and cast a pall of gloom over its residents. People have been complaining of breathing difficulties, low visibility, and schools have been shut in Delhi an unprecedented measure. As worried policymakers and citizens try to figure out how to deal with the crisis, there are some people who’re doing unexpectedly well in the situation.
There has been an incredible surge of interest in air purifiers and air masks since Diwali. Searches for “air mask” have spiked in India.
“The demand is so much that we finish our stocks by mid-day and have to replenish our stocks. We generally stock masks around Diwali every year but this season the demand has multiplied like 10 times,” said a Delhi trader that sells these masks. The masks that are available at prices ranging from Rs. 90 to up to Rs. 2,200 are available in various designs and patterns.
There’s also a similar spike in searches for Air Purifiers. Interestingly, searches for Air Purifiers had risen around Diwali last year, but the interest this year appears to be an order of magnitude higher compared to earlier years.
Air purifiers have just recently caught on in India. They’re used to clean air indoors as opposed to outdoors, and brands like Xiaomi, Eureka Forbes, Philips, and Samsung, among others,have products across different price ranges. Xiaomi, being Chinese, knows the air purifier market well and had recently launched its line in India in a big way.
And sales for these products are presumably booming too. While the Delhi pollution has brought along headaches, both figurative and literal for most people, it looks like not everyone will be complaining.