New Delhi, Nov. 9 -- Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years, triggering a political blame game between the BJP and opposition parties over the Capital's worsening air quality, stubble burning in Punjab and the credibility of pollution monitoring data. While the BJP alleged a conspiracy behind a sudden spike in farm fires in Punjab, the AAP and Congress questioned the reliability of Delhi's air quality readings, accusing the government of manipulating data as several monitoring stations went offline during peak pollution hours.

The Capital's average AQI stood at 376 on November 8, the highest Diwali reading since 2021, when it was 382. It remained at 371 at 10 am on Monday, with 14 of the 51 stations reporting severe air quality, 33 very poor and four poor. Delhi Technological University recorded the highest AQI at 439. The previous Diwali averages were 345 in 2025, 328 in 2024, 218 in 2023 and 312 in 2022.

Poor weather conditions have further complicated Delhi's post-Diwali pollution situation, with a combination of smog and fog reducing visibility across the Capital on Monday morning.

At Safdarjung, visibility fell sharply during the early hours before gradually improving. Palam also experienced reduced visibility, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) observations.

"It is smog along with fog," IMD officials said, attributing the hazy conditions to dry weather and calm winds. They said wind speeds had remained low around both weather stations during the previous evening, limiting the dispersal of pollutants.

Independent monitoring platforms also reported concerning conditions. Swiss-based IQAir classified Delhi's air quality as 'very unhealthy', while its measurements showed PM2.5 concentrations at around 34 times the World Health Organisation's annual guideline value. AQI.in separately classified the capital's air as 'hazardous'.

Several neighbourhoods, including Bawana, Burari, Jahangirpuri, Sonia Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Okhla and Rohini, continued to experience severe pollution.

Firecracker use also continued in several localities despite restrictions. Residents reported fireworks in Pitampura, Burari, Mayur Vihar and parts of Lutyens' Delhi beyond the permitted evening window.

Under the District Magistrate's order, only certified green firecrackers were allowed during specified hours on November 7 and 8. Their use was prohibited within 300 metres of hospitals, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and other designated silence zones.

Meanwhile, at a press conference, Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra alleged that stubble-burning incidents in Punjab had increased more than tenfold on Diwali evening. Citing satellite data, he claimed that around 100-125 incidents were recorded daily between November 5 and 7, before the number suddenly rose to nearly 1,200 locations on November 8.

Mishra said he had received complaints from Punjab farmers alleging that their fields were deliberately set on fire while they were celebrating Diwali. He urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to register FIRs, order an investigation and identify those responsible. He also called for examination of phone records of AAP MLAs and leaders from the affected areas, as well as party leaders who had travelled from Delhi to Punjab.

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

He also cited reported AQI figures of 1,238 in Malout, 1,307 in Abohar and 1,651 in Sangrur, questioning the pollution levels in Punjab. He accused AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, of running a campaign against Diwali, firecrackers and Sanatan traditions. He further claimed that Delhi's pre- and post-Diwali pollution figures had improved by 1.33% this year, compared with increases of 43.33% in 2023 and approximately 10% in 2024. However, he acknowledged that this did not mean pollution had ceased to be a concern.

The opposition, meanwhile, questioned the availability and reliability of official pollution data. Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that PM2.5 readings from 25 of Delhi's 39 monitoring stations were unavailable between 2 am and 3 am on November 9. Asking whether equipment had been switched off, malfunctioned or exceeded its measuring capacity, he demanded an explanation from the government.

AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj also accused the BJP government of manipulating AQI figures by shutting down monitoring stations. He said the party had written to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), alleging data manipulation. AAP had also previously accused the government of spraying water near monitoring stations to influence readings.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal, on the other hand, blamed successive Congress and AAP governments for failing to address pollution and stubble burning. He alleged that the AAP government in Punjab had allowed the problem to worsen, while arguing that the BJP government needed time to reverse years of inaction.

The controversy gained further significance after several Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) monitoring stations, including RK Puram, Nehru Nagar, Mundka, Sonia Vihar and Dwarka, reportedly stopped displaying live readings during Diwali night. RK Puram had recorded PM2.5 concentrations of 504 micrograms per cubic metre before its readings reportedly disappeared, with the concentration said to have reached 924 micrograms per cubic metre. In contrast, JNU continued reporting readings, with PM2.5 rising from 161 micrograms per cubic metre at 8 pm to 786 at 11 pm.

Private monitoring platforms also reported substantially higher pollution levels in some localities, with IQAir recording AQI readings above 1,000 in Shahdara and Defence Colony. However, such figures are not directly comparable with CPCB readings because different platforms use different AQI calculation methodologies. India's AQI scale is capped at 500, meaning that pollution concentrations can continue rising even when the displayed index reaches 500 or 500-plus.

Environmental experts questioned the monitoring network's failure to provide real-time readings during peak pollution hours. They said the absence of data was inexplicable given the public investment in establishing and maintaining Delhi-NCR's monitoring infrastructure.

The pollution spike occurred despite Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) being invoked across the NCR ahead of Diwali.

The outlook remains concerning. The Air Quality Early Warning System has indicated that Delhi could continue experiencing severe pollution over the next few days. Low wind speeds and an unfavourable ventilation index are expected to impede pollutant dispersion.

Vehicular emissions, festive celebrations and the ongoing stubble-burning season in neighbouring states are among the factors likely to contribute to the continued deterioration.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.