Delhi Diwali pollution row: PM2.5 nears 1,000, then data goes blank; BJP, AAP, Congress parties trade blame

A political row erupted on Monday after PM2.5 readings at several Delhi monitoring stations climbed close to 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre on Diwali night before the data abruptly stopped appearing. The AAP and Congress questioned the reliability of official figures, while the BJP alleged a sudden surge in farm fires in AAP-ruled Punjab was to blame for the worsening air.

PM2.5 data goes missing

Several stations stopped reporting PM2.5 levels on the night of November 8-9, even as they kept recording other pollutants, raising questions about the reliability of Delhi's monitoring system.

An analysis of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) records showed PM2.5 gaps at 43 of the city's 59 stations between 10 pm and 6 am. At 14 of them, the last reading before the interruption was at least 900 µg/m³, Hindustan Times reported.

At 39 stations examined, 148 of the 351 expected hourly PM2.5 readings were missing. Several of these stations continued to report other pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, the report added.

Congress seeks explanation

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera pointed out that PM2.5 data was absent at 25 of the 39 stations between 2 am and 3 am on November 9.

He asked whether the readings had been withheld, the equipment switched off, or pollution had exceeded the instruments' measuring limits.

"Whatever the reason, the government owes the people of Delhi an explanation," he said. He also criticised the BJP government over the worsening air, arguing that missing readings did not mean pollution had disappeared.

AAP alleges manipulation

AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the BJP government of presenting misleading figures by changing the city's monitoring arrangements.

He alleged that some stations had been shut down while 20 new ones were installed in greener, less polluted parts of Delhi. He also claimed that water was being sprinkled near monitoring equipment to influence readings.

"People simply do not trust the government's AQI numbers; I certainly don't," he said.

BJP alleges stubble burning

Delhi minister Kapil Mishra accused the AAP government in Punjab of allowing a sudden rise in farm fires that, he alleged, worsened Delhi's air. He claimed satellite records showed stubble-burning incidents jumping from 125 on November 7 to around 1,200 on November 8.

He further alleged that some farmers reported their fields being set on fire by unidentified people while they were celebrating Diwali.

"This is a conspiracy against farmers, against Diwali, against Delhi, against Punjab," Mishra said.

He demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann order an investigation and register FIRs and called for the phone records of AAP leaders who had travelled from Delhi to Punjab to be examined.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal accused the AAP of failing to tackle pollution and blamed successive Congress and AAP governments for not doing enough to clean Delhi's air.