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According to the CPCB, at 15 monitoring stations, the AQI crossed 400 by 10 am today with the highest reading recorded at the Delhi Technological University at 439
The AAP and the ruling BJP in New Delhi are in a political war of words over the air pollution data. (Image: Sajjad HUSSAIN/AFP)
Like every year after Diwali, New Delhi woke to a thick, acrid haze with the city-wide air quality index at 368 in the ‘very poor’ category at 7 am on Monday.
By 10 am, the overall AQI stood at 371, which was the highest for a post-Diwali day since 2021. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), at 15 monitoring stations, the AQI crossed 400 at this hour with the highest reading recorded at the Delhi Technological University at 439, followed by Burari Crossing at 433 and Vivek Vihar at 421.
Private platforms such as IQAir reported AQI above 1,000 in many areas like Shahdara and Defence Colony. The Aam Aadmi Party and the ruling BJP are in a political war of words over the air pollution data. But, why do the numbers differ in the first place?
HOW CPCB MEASURES AQI
The CPCB index tops out at 500, and anything higher is reported as 500. It is a public-health message, not a measure of how much worse the air gets.
Platforms like IQAir, meanwhile, use conversions derived from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s framework, so identical measurements yield different numbers.
THE FIRECRACKER FACTOR
The Supreme Court had allowed certified green crackers only between 6 am and 7 am as well as 8 pm and 10 pm on November 7 and 8, with a full ban from November 9.
Reports from several neighbourhoods indicated that people burst firecrackers beyond 10 pm. Data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) showed hourly PM2.5 at Akshardham reaching 761 micrograms per cubic metre at 11 pm on Sunday (November 8), more than 50 times the WHO guidelines.
WHY THE POLITICAL CONTROVERSY
The DPCC website stopped showing live readings from RK Puram, Nehru Nagar, Mundka, Sonia Vihar and Dwarka for several hours. On Monday, data for IIT Delhi and Dwarka Sector 8 was unavailable.
Following this, AAP president Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged that stations were being shut, that 20 new ones were placed in remote green areas, and that water was sprayed over monitors. He demanded the “true” AQI be published.
The BJP has called rising air pollution in Delhi a conspiracy by the AAP, alleging vigorous stubble burning in Punjab ahead of Diwali. Party MP Praveen Khandelwal blamed the previous AAP regime and Congress governments for poor air quality in the national capital, stating that it will take time for the present BJP government to resolve the issue.
“This is a well-thought-out conspiracy. Aam Aadmi Party has a government in Punjab, and the people of Punjab are crying for help. Punjab decided to burn stubble vigorously so that Delhi remains polluted on Diwali and they can blame us for it. But the people of Punjab and we know that this political conspiracy was hatched by the Aam Aadmi Party. But our government has already initiated measures to prevent pollution,” Khandelwal said, as reported by YEARS.
“Pollution is not an issue of today. Before us, Sheela Dixit was the Chief Minister for 15 years in the Congress government, then Arvind Kejriwal was the Chief Minister for 10 years in the Aam Aadmi Party government. Today’s pollution is their gift because when measures should have been taken to prevent pollution, neither the Congress nor the Aam Aadmi Party government took a single step. Ever since our government was formed, we have worked on all the causes of pollution. It will definitely take some time to fix the pollution in Delhi, where not a single piece of paper has been passed on pollution for 25 years,” he was quoted.
WHAT CURBS ARE IN FORCE
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) moved from Stage II on November 2 to Stage III on Friday (November 6).
Stage III halts non-essential construction and tightens vehicle curbs. The early warning system forecasts ‘severe’ air for the next few days.
In an order released on Sunday (November 8), the Supreme Court asked Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for an urgent vehicle-pollution plan, noting that stubble burning has dropped while vehicular emissions have risen.
MOST POLLUTED DIWALI IN 5 YEARS
Controversies aside, as per data available, this is Delhi’s most polluted Diwali in five years. Out of the 51 monitoring stations that recorded data, 14 were in the ‘severe’ category, four in the ‘poor’ category and the remaining 33 in the ‘very poor’ category.
According to CPCB data, the Diwali-day AQI of 376 was the highest recorded on the day of the festival since 2021, when it was recorded at 382. It should, however, be noted that Diwali falls on different days in October or November every year. It was on November 8 this year, on October 20 in 2025, October 31 in 2024, November 12 in 2023, October 24 in 2022 and November 4 in 2021.
The average AQI on Diwali stood at 345 in 2025, 328 in 2024, 218 in 2023 and 312 in 2022, compared with 382 in 2021 and 376 this year. The pollution levels remained high on the day after the festival as well. The full-day average AQI on the day after Diwali was 351 in 2025, 338 in 2024, 360 in 2023, 302 in 2022 and 462 in 2021.
The city woke up to a thick layer of smog and fog on Monday, with visibility dropping sharply at both of Delhi’s major weather stations during the early morning hours.
(With PTI inputs)
Quick Answers
Ask News18The Central Pollution Control Board tops its index at 500, treating anything higher as a public-health message rather than an absolute scale of worsening air. In contrast, private platforms like IQAir use conversions derived from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s framework, causing identical measurements to yield different numbers.
Ask News18About the Author
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing im…Read More
November 09, 2026, 4:01 PM IST
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