Was Delhi pollution data during Diwali misleading?
BBC Verify reports that official Indian government data on Delhi's air pollution during Diwali may be misleading due to the exclusion of extreme PM2.5 readings. Experts warn that omitting these high figures obscures the true severity of the city's air quality crisis.
Why it matters
Accurate environmental data is essential for public health policy and ensuring citizens are informed about hazardous living conditions.
Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images By Shruti Menon and Barbara Metzler BBC Verify Published 58 minutes ago BBC Verify has found significant discrepancies between two Indian government datasets showing Delhi's air pollution during Diwali, indicating official figures may not have captured the full extent of the problem.
As fireworks lit up Delhi's skies on 8 November to mark one of India's biggest festivals, some monitoring stations recorded very high levels of PM2.5, a fine particulate matter which can damage people's lungs and cause other serious health problems.
But every hourly PM2.5 reading above 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre was missing from the widely cited air quality index (AQI) published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), when compared to data from the Delhi Pollution Control Commission (DPCC).
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