The air of Delhi becomes poisonous every year after Diwali. But this time the question is being raised not only on the level of pollution, but on the reliability of the pollution measuring system. In Aaj Tak’s reality check, air quality monitoring stations (AQI stations) and display boards in many areas of the capital were found to be either defective or installed among the trees in such a way that correct data could not be obtained. Serious flaws were also found in the data displayed on government websites and in the ground reality.
1. Narela: Station display board in green area damaged
The view of the air quality monitoring station installed in the ITI campus of Narela in outer Delhi is shocking. The station has been planted among trees, where the air is already clean. An anti-smoke gun was working right in front of the station, meaning the air was cleaned even before the pollution was measured.
After Diwali, a special cleaning campaign was conducted here, so that the dust particles around the station were reduced and the report appeared ‘improved’. The display board is so blurry that no data can be read clearly on it. Local MCD employee Dayachand told that cleaning has been started here two days ago.
2. Aya Nagar: Display machine closed for one and a half years
The AQI display board of Aya Nagar outside the Meteorological Department office has been closed for the last 18 months. The guard told that the machine has not been working for a long time, although the machines inside are said to be active but there is no entry for outsiders. It is clear from this that the data which should reach the public is limited only to the files of the departments. Many AQI stations in Delhi are like this. Either the machines are broken or the boards are not working.
3. RK Puram: Hidden board on the roof, closed from Diwali
The AQI display board in the Kendriya Vidyalaya campus of RK Puram is covered with trees on the roof of the building. It is not only away from the public eye, but has also been closed since October 22. The school guard told that the board has been closed since Diwali. Whereas, this same board was put up to inform the common people about the pollution level.
4. Bawana: Station between trees, board bad
The AQI station installed in the Maharishi Valmiki Hospital premises is situated amidst dense trees. The display board is about 200 meters away and that too is bad. Local people said that the actual pollution in the Bawana area where there are factories is very high, but an attempt has been made to artificially make the figures look good by placing the station among the trees. This station was established during the time of AAP government, which means this game of numbers is old.
5. Punjabi Bagh: Board closed, data on website 300+
The AQI monitor installed inside Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Punjabi Bagh area of West Delhi was found completely switched off at 12 noon on 23 October. Even after waiting for an hour the machine did not show any reading. Surprisingly, at the same time, Punjabi Bagh’s AQI was 300+ recorded on the CPCB website. The local guard told that officers had come on Diwali night, but after that no one came to see. That means the machine on the ground was closed, but the data continued to run on the website.
6. Karkardooma and Shahdara: Board freeze, monitoring stopped
The display board installed outside CPCB near Karkardooma Court was found stuck on the date of 22nd October i.e. the data is not being updated. The AQI Center of Shahdara has also been closed for several days even though it is located in front of the house of local MLA Sanjay Goyal. According to sources, the monitoring system is at a standstill due to sensor malfunction and delay in maintenance. Meanwhile, pollution due to burning of garbage and vehicle smoke is increasing in the area.
7. Najafgarh: Data on site, closed on website
AQI station was found fully operational in the Chaudhary Brahma Prakash Hospital premises of Khera Dabur. The data on the display was being updated continuously but the same station appeared offline on the CPCB website.
The station operator told that it is an automated system, which runs 24 hours, but due to server technical glitch, the data was not visible on the website.
8. Okhla Phase-2: Station operational, people satisfied
AQI station was found working properly in Phase-2 of Okhla Industrial Area. The data was found matching on both the display and the website. People said that the station is running continuously, water sprinkling and cleaning is being done outside. This means that some stations in the capital are working well, but the condition of many is like a blind spot.
What did the officials say on this whole matter?
Anil Gupta, member, DPCC and CPCB, said that there are 40 AQI stations in Delhi, out of which 39 are functional. Sometimes the machines are temporarily closed after events like Diwali. This is a normal maintenance process, there is no attempt to hide any data. Due to technical reasons, sometimes the station’s readings are not updated.
Mohan P. George, former senior scientist, DPCC and advisor, Center for Science and Environment, said that AQI stations should be free from any kind of obstruction. They should not be installed in areas where trees or buildings block the flow of air. A station must operate for at least 340 days a year so that the data remains reliable. Generally, the data of PM2.5 and PM10 should be updated every hour.
(With inputs from Milan Sharma, Sushant Mehra, Amarjeet Singh, Amardeep Kumar, Rajesh Khatri, OP Shukla, Manoranjan, Bharat Kumar, Ashutosh Kumar)
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