Delhi’s air-quality monitoring system has come under fresh scrutiny after the Aam Aadmi Party accused the BJP-led Delhi government of manipulating pollution readings by spraying water near monitoring stations and placing some stations in green areas.
AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj raised the allegations during a meeting with the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Member Secretary and other officials. Bharadwaj said the commission had described the spraying of water on monitoring stations as improper and assured the delegation that it would summon the Delhi government’s senior-most official and seek action against those responsible.
The allegations concern the functioning and placement of air-quality monitoring equipment, which provides the readings used by authorities and residents to assess pollution levels and determine the severity of public-health conditions. Bharadwaj said the party would approach CAQM again if no action was taken within a week.
The delegation also raised concerns over an alleged blackout of Central Pollution Control Board and Delhi Pollution Control Committee monitoring stations on Diwali night. Bharadwaj claimed that elevated pollution readings had been removed, but the report did not provide an independent technical assessment of the alleged blackout or data removal.
Another issue raised by the AAP concerned the technical limits of some monitoring equipment. Bharadwaj said CAQM had written to the CPCB seeking replacement of equipment that could not display AQI readings above 999. According to him, the limitation restricted public access to accurate pollution data when readings exceeded that level.
Bharadwaj also referred to a complaint filed on November 4, after which CAQM had sought action from the CPCB. He alleged that no steps had been taken so far. He cited CAQM’s enforcement powers and said violations could attract imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.
AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar separately claimed that the AQI had crossed 3,000 in several areas and said the pollution had affected residents, particularly people with asthma. He also alleged that highly polluting firecrackers were used despite restrictions requiring green crackers.
The allegations have not been independently established in the supplied report, and the Delhi government, CPCB and DPCC responses were not included. The immediate next step identified by the party is a further approach to CAQM after one week if it does not receive an action report. CAQM’s proposed summoning of the Delhi government’s senior-most official will determine how the monitoring-related complaints are formally examined.
