Delhi’s air quality index reached 370 on Monday, marking a 'very poor' level after Diwali fireworks. Opposition leaders slammed the government over rising pollution and poor enforcement of firecracker rules. Jairam Ramesh said, "Ease of doing business is fine, but ease of breathing is even more fundamental," demanding stricter standards.
On Monday, Delhi's air quality index stood at 370, categorised as 'very poor' by the Central Pollution Control Board. Several monitoring stations recorded readings above 400, in the 'severe' category
Delhi woke up to a dense layer of smog on Monday after Diwali fireworks continued late into the night despite court restrictions. The capital's AQI stood at 370 at 9 am, as Opposition leaders questioned the BJP-led governments in Delhi and at the Centre over air pollution, monitoring and enforcement.
This followed the Supreme Court's decision to allow only certified green firecrackers during limited hours over the Diwali weekend. However, according to various reports, fireworks continued beyond the permitted hours.
Congress calls for tougher clean-air standards
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday cited a FICCI-EY report estimating that about two million deaths in India in 2023, roughly 22 per cent of all deaths that year, were attributable to air pollution.
In a post on X, Ramesh accused the Modi government of denying air pollution's impact on mortality. He said the government dismissed studies because they were either insufficiently specific to India or did not establish that deaths could be uniquely attributed to air pollution.
"Now comes a detailed FICCI-EY report that says categorically that around 2 million deaths (about 22% of total) were attributable to air pollution in India in 2023. This is yet another wake-up call for the somnolent Modi Government," he said.
"Ease of doing business is fine, but ease of breathing is even more fundamental," Ramesh said, calling for stricter standards for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone, in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.
He also called for the National Clean Air Programme to focus on those pollutants and for a public health-focused Clean Air Act to replace the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
Maken flags missing PM2.5 readings, Khera seeks explanation
Congress leader Ajay Maken cited CPCB data, saying PM2.5 readings were missing at 25 monitoring stations between 2 am and 3 am on November 9. The 25 were among the 39 stations he used for his comparison with last Diwali.
"At the 9 stations with readings for both Diwali nights during this hour, average PM2.5 was 576 µg/m³," Maken wrote on X, according to the platform's English translation. "At the same stations during the same hour last Diwali, it was 562, meaning 2.5% higher this time."
Congress leader Pawan Khera also flagged the missing readings and demanded an explanation. In a separate post on X, he asked, "Is the government suppressing the data?" and "Were the monitors deliberately switched off?" He also asked whether pollution levels could have exceeded the equipment's measuring capacity.
"Whatever the reason, the government owes the people of Delhi an explanation," Khera wrote. "But there is one thing the people of Delhi can be certain of: the fact that the data has gone missing doesn't mean the pollution has disappeared too."
AAP accuses Delhi government of manipulating data
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the BJP-led Delhi government of manipulating air quality data, with party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj claiming that private monitoring platforms showed readings above 3,000 in several parts of the national capital on Diwali night.
"AQI 3000 paar. Full credit to these brothers who raised pollution beyond 3000," Bhardwaj wrote on X.
Bhardwaj alleged that about 20 monitoring stations had been installed in relatively green areas and that water was being sprayed around stations in more polluted locations to lower readings. His allegations and the private readings could not be independently verified. The CPCB's published AQI scale runs from 0 to 500.
Saket Gokhale accuses Delhi Police of ignoring firecracker violations
TMC leader Saket Gokhale on Monday accused the Delhi Police of failing to enforce Supreme Court restrictions on firecrackers during Diwali celebrations, alleging that fireworks continued in parts of the national capital until 3 am.
In a post on X, Gokhale said, "Last night, fireworks were going on until 3 am in so-called Lutyens Delhi where ministers and SC judges live. Literally everyone we know either has a chronic cough, burning eyes, migraines, & breathlessness."
He also rejected attempts to attribute Delhi's pollution primarily to stubble burning, accusing the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Delhi of blaming Punjab farmers instead of addressing firecracker use in the capital.
"This is NOT due to stubble burning. It is sickening that EVERY YEAR the BJP Govts at the Centre & in Delhi keep pointing fingers at Punjab farmers for their own failures," he wrote on X.
Gokhale further said: "What was the SC thinking when it permitted green fireworks? What ON EARTH are even green fireworks? Sale and bursting of crackers is going on in full swing across Delhi. Just look outside your window & you will see a toxic apocalypse."
He also accused the Delhi Police of overlooking illegal sales and use of firecrackers and called for a ban on air purifiers in the homes and offices of judges, ministers and senior police officers.