Delhi’s air quality reached alarming levels, reporting a hazardous AQI of 494
IIT Delhi recorded one of the highest AQI readings at 488, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). It was followed by ITO at 455, Anand Vihar at 419, Rohini at 413 and Rajokri Border at 402, with all these areas falling in the severe category. The area around Dhaula Kuan recorded an AQI of 161, placing it in the moderate category, according to CPCB data.
He claimed that the actual figures were 49 per cent higher than the readings displayed on government websites. CREA showed that the pollution shown for Delhi was 49% higher than what you were told-meaning it was almost one and a half times higher. So, if I put this into AQI terms, the AQI shown as 370 was actually 560, or maybe even higher. Earlier reporting noted: According to HT’s real-time air quality dashboard , the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 403 at 7.30am, 82 points higher than the previous 24 hours. Earlier reporting noted: NASA’s satellite detected 4,107 farm fires in Punjab and Haryana from October 1 to November 12 (Punjab: 3,729; Haryana: 378), with 96 on November 12. Over the same dates last season, it counted 4,220. Burning has shifted later each year (98% of the fire heat Meteosat recorded in 2025 occurred after 3pm, compared with 94% in 2024), so the two counts can differ for that reason alone, according to HT’s analysis.
Because the data they gave us yesterday when we met the CPCB was ridiculous. Because we can’t measure above 999 and we don’t display 999, “The CPCB said that when our pollution level hits 999, we don’t even consider that level,.
So it’s just shown as zero…..So this fraud done with pollution wasn’t just done with the numbers, but with the health of our kids, our elders, and the two crore people of Delhi,” said Bharadwaj. Earlier reporting noted: Delhi’s air quality enters ‘severe’ category, worst grade on pollution scale Delhi’s air quality deteriorated into the “severe” zone — the worst grade on the government’s pollution scale— on Friday morning, with a thick, smoky haze continuing to envelop the Capital. Meanwhile, the Delhi government has been undertaking measures to control pollution and minimise the impact of particulate matter. These include deploying water sprinklers across the state. Speaking to ANI, Bharadwaj cited a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and alleged that pollution data in Delhi had been manipulated. Why?
“Today, many newspapers completely exposed the Delhi government and the Central Pollution Control Board.