New Delhi: Opposition leaders in India have raised questions over Delhi's air pollution monitoring data following Diwali, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj alleging manipulation of Air Quality Index (AQI) readings and senior Congress leader Ajay Maken flagging missing PM2.5 data at 25 monitoring stations.
As post-Diwali smog blanketed the national capital, Delhi AAP president Bhardwaj on Monday accused the government of manipulating pollution figures and demanded that the “true” AQI be made public.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality deteriorated to the brink of the 'severe' category on Monday morning, with the AQI touching the 400 mark. Thick smog reduced visibility in several parts of the city.
Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj alleged that monitoring stations had been shut down and that 20 new AQI stations were installed in remote, green areas of Delhi. He also claimed that water was being sprinkled over monitoring stations in polluted areas to influence their readings.
"The government's data is based on fraud. We showed how monitoring stations were shut down, and how 20 new AQI stations were installed in remote, lush green areas of Delhi. Water is being sprinkled directly over the monitoring stations in polluted spots to manipulate the readings. People simply do not trust the government's AQI numbers; I certainly don't," he said.
Bhardwaj claimed that AQI levels had crossed 3,000 in several areas. He warned that PM2.5 particles at such levels could enter the bloodstream and trigger heart attacks in people with heart ailments and respiratory failure in asthmatic children.
"By peddling false numbers, the government is playing with people's lives. My message to the government is: if you are encouraging fireworks, then own up to it and take full responsibility. You cannot engage in fraud; you must reveal the truth," he said.
"Take responsibility and present the true AQI to the public, or else vulnerable citizens—the sick, the elderly, and children—could lose their lives," he added.
Separately, senior Congress leader Ajay Maken questioned the availability of pollution monitoring data on Diwali night, alleging that PM2.5 readings from 25 of Delhi's 39 air quality monitoring stations were unavailable between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on the night of November 8-9.
In a post on X, Maken cited CPCB data and said that the average PM2.5 concentration recorded at the nine stations with available readings during that period was 576 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), or 38.4 times the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 24-hour limit.
"Diwali Night at 2:00 am: No PM2.5 Data Recorded at 25 of Delhi’s 39 Monitoring Stations…According to CPCB data, no PM2.5 readings were recorded at 25 stations in Delhi between 2:00 am and 3:00 am on the night of November 8–9. These are among the 39 stations for which data was also recorded on the night of the previous Diwali," Maken said.
दिवाली की रात 2 बजे: दिल्ली के 39 में से 25 स्टेशनों पर PM2.5 का आँकड़ा दर्ज नहीं8 से 9 नवंबर की रात 2 से 3 बजे के बीच CPCB के data अनुसार दिल्ली के 25 स्टेशनों पर PM2.5 का कोई आँकड़ा दर्ज नहीं हुआ। ये उन 39 स्टेशनों में से हैं जिनका आँकड़ा पिछली दिवाली की रात भी दर्ज है।इन 25 स्टेशनों का आँकड़ा इस घंटे दर्ज नहीं हुआ: Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, CRRI Mathura Road, Chandni Chowk, Dwarka Sector 8, IMD Lodhi Road, ITO, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Mandir Marg, Mundka, NSIT Dwarka, Najafgarh, Narela, Nehru Nagar, North Campus DU, Okhla Phase 2, Punjabi Bagh, Pusa, R K Puram, Shadipur, Sirifort, Sri Aurobindo Marg, Wazirpur।जिन 9 स्टेशनों का इस घंटे दोनों दिवाली का आँकड़ा है, वहाँ औसत PM2.5 576 µg/m³ रहा, WHO की 24 घंटे की सीमा का 38.4 गुना। पिछली दिवाली इसी घंटे इन्हीं स्टेशनों पर यह 562 था, यानी इस बार 2.5% ज़्यादा।शाम 6 बजे से हर घंटे का औसत PM2.5 (µg/m³):शाम 6 से: 141, पिछली दिवाली 107 (31.5% ज़्यादा)रात 7 से: 181, पिछली दिवाली 146 (23.9% ज़्यादा)रात 8 से: 265, पिछली दिवाली 222 (19.4% ज़्यादा)रात 9 से: 403, पिछली दिवाली 354 (13.8% ज़्यादा)रात 10 से: 506, WHO सीमा का 33.7 गुनारात 11 से: 515, WHO सीमा का 34.4 गुनारात 12 से: 610, WHO सीमा का 40.6 गुनारात 1 से: 597, WHO सीमा का 39.8 गुनारात 2 से: 576, पिछली दिवाली 562 (2.5% ज़्यादा)#Diwali2026 #DelhiPollutionहवा WHO सीमा से 38.4 गुना भारी, फिर भी 25 स्टेशनों का आँकड़ा दर्ज नहीं।https://t.co/o05GCfErKr
The 25 stations he identified were Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, CRRI Mathura Road, Chandni Chowk, Dwarka Sector 8, IMD Lodhi Road, ITO, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Mandir Marg, Mundka, NSIT Dwarka, Najafgarh, Narela, Nehru Nagar, North Campus DU, Okhla Phase 2, Punjabi Bagh, Pusa, R K Puram, Shadipur, Sirifort, Sri Aurobindo Marg and Wazirpur.
Maken said the average PM2.5 concentration at the nine stations with available data between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. was 576 µg/m³, compared with 562 µg/m³ during the corresponding period on the previous Diwali, marking an increase of 2.5 per cent.
"For the 9 stations that have data available for both Diwali nights during this time slot, the average PM2.5 level was 576 µg/m³—38.4 times the WHO’s 24-hour limit. On the previous Diwali, the average at these same stations during this hour was 562 µg/m³, representing an increase of 2.5% this year," he said.
Maken also shared a comparison of average hourly PM2.5 concentrations from 6 p.m. onwards on the two Diwali nights.
According to the figures in his post, the average concentration at 6 p.m. was 141 µg/m³, compared with 107 µg/m³ on the previous Diwali, an increase of 31.5 per cent. At 7 p.m., it stood at 181 µg/m³ against 146 µg/m³, marking a rise of 23.9 per cent.
At 8 p.m., the average was 265 µg/m³ compared with 222 µg/m³ the previous Diwali, an increase of 19.4 per cent. At 9 p.m., it reached 403 µg/m³ against 354 µg/m³, a rise of 13.8 per cent.
The figures showed that PM2.5 levels stood at 506 µg/m³ at 10 pm, equivalent to 33.7 times the WHO limit, and 515 µg/m³ at 11 pm, or 34.4 times the limit.
At midnight, the average concentration reached 610 µg/m³, 40.6 times the WHO limit. It subsequently stood at 597 µg/m³ at 1 am, equivalent to 39.8 times the limit, before declining to 576 µg/m³ at 2 am.
"Air pollution levels are 38.4 times the WHO limit—and this is despite data from 25 monitoring stations not being recorded," Maken said.
Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality deteriorated to the brink of the 'severe' category on Monday morning, a day after Diwali celebrations. Thick smog engulfed several parts of the national capital, reducing visibility during the early morning hours.
Several monitoring stations recorded AQI levels above 400. Burari Crossing registered the highest reading at 441, followed by Vivek Vihar at 437, Delhi Technological University (DTU) at 434, North Campus of Delhi University and Jahangirpuri at 433 each, and Rohini at 430.
Other locations in the severe category included Mundka at 417, Punjabi Bagh at 409, NIH Narela at 407 and ITO at 407.
Among other monitoring stations, CRRI Mathura Road recorded an AQI of 396, Aya Nagar 386, Talkatora Garden 384, NSUT Jaffarpur 378, Lodhi Road 370, Mandir Marg 369, Wazirpur 365, R K Puram 364, Badarpur 363, IHBAS Dilshad Garden 363 and Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range 361.
Najafgarh recorded an AQI of 340, Anand Vihar 335, IMD Lodhi Road 323, Ashok Vihar 319 and Sri Aurobindo Marg 267. Data for IIT Delhi and Dwarka Sector 8 was unavailable.
A thick blanket of smog was particularly visible around the Inderlok area, while several other parts of the city woke up to hazy conditions and poor visibility.
According to CPCB data cited in the report, the AQI around Ghazipur stood at 418, in the 'severe' category, while the reading around Akshardham was 337, categorised as 'very poor'.