Thick smog shrouds New Delhi after Diwali firecrackers add to seasonal pollution
- On Sunday night, numerous air quality monitoring stations in Delhi went offline during peak Diwali firecracker usage, creating a data void that raised serious questions about the reliability of the official Air Quality Index tracking exercise.
- Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Delhi government of 'data fraud,' alleging authorities manipulated readings to understate pollution levels, while Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra alleged a 'conspiracy' by Punjab to burn stubble.
- Analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air found 36 stations stopped reporting by 1 a.m. Monday; PM2.5 levels in Patparganj reached 2,597 micrograms per cubic meter before data went missing, roughly 173 times the World Health Organisation limit.
- Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment, called the 'data eclipse' during peak pollution 'inexplicable,' as experts warn missing readings create confusion and panic, masking the true severity of the emergency.
- Similar data gaps occurred last year, fueling ongoing distrust; private monitoring platforms like IQAir reported hazardous levels on Monday morning, contradicting official figures and highlighting discrepancies in measurement methods used by government agencies.
124 Articles
124 Articles
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Delhi's Missing Diwali-Night Pollution Data Released: PM2.5 Crosses 3,700; Politicians Cling to Superstition
Delhi's previously missing Diwali-night pollution data, released by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, has revealed a staggering PM2.5 concentration of 3,744 µg/m³ at Mundka, with 11 monitoring stations recording levels above 2,000 µg/m³.
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Delhi's air quality index remained in the “very poor” category at 311 early Tuesday, according to the CQAM. It was recorded at 344 at 4 pm on Monday, compared with 376 reported at the corresponding time on Diwali day (Sunday).
Diwali festivities contribute to New Delhi smog
A thick blanket of smog yesterday shrouded India’s capital after firecrackers lit up the skies over New Delhi during Diwali celebrations, compounding dangerously high pollution levels and intensifying the seasonal air pollution crisis that grips the city every year.Despite restrictions on fireworks,
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