Firecrackers still Delhi’s top pollutant after Deepavali, IITM finds

During the peak of air pollution on Deepavali night, several government monitoring stations in Delhi experienced a lapse in air quality data, sparking concerns about the true extent of pollution levels. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported blank readings for numerous stations, with data from PM2.5 (fine inhalable particles) notably absent for several hours in locations such as Anand Vihar, Patparganj, and Bawana.

Experts have raised questions over the missing data, pointing out that it artificially lowers the Air Quality Index (AQI), making the actual air quality appear to be better than it is. According to Manoj Kumar, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, "Since midnight on November 8 until 5 a.m. on November 9, 227 hourly PM2.5 observations were missing across 59 CPCB monitoring stations in Delhi."

The air quality in parts of Delhi was reported to be 173.13 times above the WHO permissible limit during the Deepavali night, with the level of PM2.5 in Patparganj at 2,597 micrograms per cubic metre at 1 a.m. on November 9, 2026. The CPCB website displayed a cap at 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre for PM2.5, which raised concerns about the representation of extreme pollution concentrations.

Both the AAP and Congress parties criticized the BJP government over the missing data, with the AAP alleging "data fraud" and the BJP suggesting a "conspiracy" by AAP-governed Punjab to set stubble on fire in Punjab on the eve of Deepavali. The Delhi Labour Minister, Kapil Mishra, stated that the government would investigate the issue within an hour and provide further details to the media.