Delhi’s air-quality monitoring system has come under a serious allegation after Aam Aadmi Party Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that water was being sprayed over an air-quality monitoring station in Jahangirpuri to lower its readings. The claim, reported by Live Hindustan – NCR, has not been independently verified in the material supplied for this report.
Bhardwaj said the alleged incident took place at the AQI monitoring station at ITI Jahangirpuri. He claimed that water was being sprayed directly above the station while nearby areas were not receiving similar spraying. According to his allegation, the purpose was to reduce the pollution reading recorded by the station.
In a video shared on X, Bhardwaj said the station was being manipulated so that pollution levels of 600 could appear as 300. He described the alleged practice as an attempt to mislead the public about the severity of Delhi’s air pollution. The report does not establish who carried out the spraying, whether the activity was authorised, or whether it altered the station’s recorded readings.
The allegation was made as Delhi’s air quality was reported to be in the very poor category on 4 November, with an AQI reading of 377 cited in the report. Bhardwaj said inaccurate readings could affect how residents, particularly children, older people and patients, decide their daily activities and assess health risks.
Bhardwaj also alleged that the matter could put sensitive groups at risk and called for criminal action against officials found responsible. He said he had written to the chairpersons of the Commission for Air Quality Management and the Central Pollution Control Board, asking them to investigate the matter.
The supplied report does not include a response from the Delhi government, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, CAQM or CPCB. It also does not provide an inspection report, monitoring data, technical assessment, official complaint record or independent confirmation of the allegation. The claim therefore remains attributed to Bhardwaj and the Aam Aadmi Party rather than an established finding.
The case highlights the importance of transparent and technically reliable air-quality monitoring in a city where AQI readings influence public-health messaging and individual decisions. Any determination about whether the Jahangirpuri station was interfered with would require examination by the competent monitoring authorities, including review of station data, operating procedures and the circumstances shown in the videos.
The next documented step cited in the report is Bhardwaj’s request to CAQM and CPCB for an investigation. The outcome of any official inquiry, along with responses from the concerned authorities, remains unavailable in the supplied material.
