Delhi's Dirty Air Secret: Is The Government Hiding The Real Pollution Numbers?

India Today

On this Special Report, anchor Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor investigates allegations of air pollution data manipulation in Delhi, joined by environmentalist Bhavreen. The environmentalist Bhavreen states, 'The data has become like a game of numbers.' The investigation across four key locations—Anand Vihar, ITO, Lodi Road, and JLN Stadium—uncovers major discrepancies between government AQI figures and independent readings. The report reveals that water sprinkling near monitoring stations causes a temporary but significant dip in pollution numbers, as seen in Anand Vihar. In other areas like ITO, PM 2.5 levels on private meters were nearly double the official CPCB figures. The probe also finds defunct monitoring displays in VIP zones like Lodi Road and highlights that even the Supreme Court has raised questions over non-functional monitors and pollution monitoring methods in the capital.

Transcript

00:00Water sprinklers right next to the pollution monitoring system in full display.

00:07Allegations of pollution meters not working.

00:12Allegations also of data from the Diwali night missing.

00:19Generally everywhere it's over touching 500.

00:23I'm Sonal Merotra Kapoor and I'm on the streets of the national capital

00:27to find the answer to one question.

00:31Can we trust the pollution numbers in Delhi?

00:46Is Delhi hiding the real pollution numbers?

00:50Water sprinklers right next to the pollution monitoring system in full display.

00:56Allegations of pollution meters not working.

00:59Allegations also of data from the Diwali night missing.

01:04Serious questions being asked on whether there has been an attempt to water down the numbers.

01:10And now questions by the Supreme Court as well.

01:13I'm Sonal Merotra Kapoor and I'm on the streets of the national capital

01:17to find the answer to one question.

01:20Can we trust the pollution numbers in Delhi?

01:23Let's find out.

01:25This is location number one, Anand Vihar here in the national capital region.

01:44The most polluted part of the city.

01:47In fact, many say of the country as well.

01:49Rightly so because there is a bus depot over here.

01:52So what are we going to do?

01:54We are going to go to an independent monitoring system

01:57to try and see what are the numbers saying on our system

02:00versus what the government system is reporting.

02:03Let me bring on with me Bhavreen over here.

02:07Bhavreen is an environmentalist.

02:09Bhavreen, at Anand Vihar, what is your pollution meter saying?

02:13So it's varying between about 470, 82, 520 depending on where you're standing.

02:20And now see we've come into the shade and little, you know,

02:23but generally everywhere it's over touching 500.

02:28Touching 500 versus let's check now what we are getting on the weather app

02:34which is reporting the government data, right?

02:37So the weather app is reporting 300, right?

02:40So a difference at the moment from yours going 500 to ours saying roughly 300.

02:47This could be why?

02:49Because one, of course, every few minutes the sprinkling,

02:54the smoke guns, not the gun, it's the other vehicle that's coming.

02:58So there's a sudden change then and it's very temporary.

03:02So it goes down and then if you keep standing there

03:05or move a little bit further, it comes up.

03:07So that is the reality that PM2…

03:10This data that I'm getting on my phone actually comes from the government monitoring system,

03:14which is not very far from here.

03:16Let's go check out there what's happening, yeah?

03:18Come.

03:27So we looked at the numbers right on the streets

03:30where the common man really is.

03:32The numbers went to almost 500.

03:34Now we've come to the pollution monitoring system.

03:37Now you see fresh water is being sprinkled right behind me.

03:40Now I'm trying to understand, Bhavreen,

03:43that because of the watering down,

03:46do the numbers actually come down?

03:48Can we see that?

03:49Yes.

03:50What is your…

03:51What is your numbers?

03:52The numbers are now…

03:53The numbers here as we walked here,

03:54and now they've come down to about 300.

03:56They've also gone to 290 and 300 it's varying.

03:59So this is a temporary,

04:01because when you will put water,

04:03the numbers will reflect in that.

04:05But nothing is going to happen to the PM2.5,

04:08for that matter, even PM10.

04:09You know, it will settle down for some time,

04:12but then it will eventually,

04:13when there's no water,

04:14they will rise up,

04:16and then of course now there's slight wind and all,

04:18it will take it away.

04:20So you know,

04:21that overall reflection shows in the future numbers also.

04:25So you are saying it is fairly conclusive

04:28that because of the watering around the monitoring system

04:32and other places,

04:33numbers do come down, that's clear?

04:35Absolutely.

04:36Even while we were there, you know,

04:38when the vehicle of the water,

04:40you know, what they're sending,

04:41not a gun,

04:42but I don't know what they call it,

04:43sprinklers were going,

04:44that immediately there was a difference,

04:46because immediately the difference will reflect.

04:49But then if you keep standing there for a few minutes,

04:51maybe, you know,

04:528 to 10, 14, 15 minutes,

04:54it will just wash off.

04:56Okay.

04:57So this was location number one.

04:58This is Anand Vihar.

05:00And now let's move on to another location

05:02to again try and find out if this trend

05:05continues across Delhi.

05:07Yeah, let's go.

05:20This is location number two.

05:21We are at ITO.

05:23Let's see what the pollution meter with us says.

05:26At the moment at ITO,

05:29the pollution meter is 312,

05:31PM 2.5 is 142.

05:35Let's see what the government's data,

05:37this is CPCB.

05:38And let's see what that one says.

05:41PM 2.5 is 87,

05:43PM 2.5 over here is 145.

05:47That's a massive difference.

05:49How's that happening?

05:50That is the strange part that there's,

05:52you know,

05:53the data has become like a,

05:55it's a, you know,

05:56game of numbers,

05:57you know,

05:58it's become a game of numbers to just reduce.

05:59It's ridiculous because, you know,

06:00we have another monitor there and it's the same.

06:02It's around 145 here.

06:04Could it be that this is at a distance,

06:07that's why it's capturing less,

06:08we are on the ground floor?

06:10Everything matters because we are nearer to the road.

06:13No, but it cannot be like double.

06:14It cannot be so,

06:15so much difference in the data.

06:18And this is again,

06:20PM 2.5 is something very serious.

06:22You cannot afford to do this.

06:24People tend to think we should not be,

06:26you know,

06:27we are still,

06:28you know,

06:29it should be five micrograms.

06:31PM 2.5.

06:32Yeah.

06:33PM 2.5 is the particulate matter

06:37that enters your bloodstream directly.

06:39There is little you can do

06:41to get it out of your system once it's in.

06:43Absolutely.

06:44And that at the moment,

06:45at location 2,

06:46discrepancy is,

06:48it's almost double

06:49to what a private,

06:50independent AQI meter says

06:52versus what the figures of CPCB over there are.

07:04All right.

07:05This is location number 3.

07:06We are on Lodi Road.

07:08Perhaps the greenest part of the national capital region.

07:11And what do we find here?

07:13This is supposed to be an AQI display system,

07:18which is currently defunct,

07:20not functioning at all.

07:23Now,

07:24what do we make of this,

07:25Svavreen?

07:26Well,

07:27this,

07:28this is very,

07:29very sad to see,

07:30because we're in the peak of the pollution.

07:31And,

07:32like you said,

07:33we're in a,

07:34actually a VIP area.

07:35We have,

07:36you know,

07:37parliamentarians,

07:38judges,

07:39you know,

07:40the most,

07:41you know,

07:42important bureaucrats staying here.

07:43And,

07:44this was a monitor,

07:45actually,

07:46which is,

07:47at least in my mind,

07:48the monitors that we saw,

07:49the displays.

07:50And,

07:51you know,

07:52being this thing,

07:53and this used to be the,

07:54you know,

07:55common route for everyone.

07:56So,

07:57it was always a,

07:58you know,

07:59like a win for us,

08:00that finally there's something that you're seeing.

08:01And,

08:02you know,

08:03what you,

08:04as it is,

08:05you can't see air.

08:06But,

08:07this is seeing is believing.

08:08How much is this saying right now?

08:10So,

08:11this is in the poor category.

08:12Still,

08:13it says,

08:14AQI is about 216,

08:17down to 200.

08:18PM 2.5 is 92.

08:21Meaning,

08:22PM 2.5 is still in the poor category.

08:26What is a WHO limit for PM 2.5?

08:295,

08:305 micrograms.

08:31One second.

08:32Again,

08:33WHO unit for PM 2.5 is?

08:35Yeah,

08:365,

08:375.

08:38Right now,

08:39it's about,

08:40you know,

08:41it was about 120,

08:42which was showing just now.

08:43So,

08:44you are,

08:45you can imagine,

08:46you are 20 times more,

08:47right now,

08:48as of now.

08:49And this is,

08:50this is not the highest of the figures that we've seen.

08:52So,

08:53so,

08:54coming back to the display monitors,

08:56is something very crucial.

08:57Rather than going forward,

08:59and having,

09:00because so many years,

09:01we've been asking that,

09:02every school,

09:03every hospital,

09:04every stadium,

09:05every bus stop,

09:06railway station,

09:07they must have air quality monitors,

09:08because,

09:09display boards,

09:10because that's what is,

09:11what you see.

09:12People will learn,

09:13citizens will know,

09:14more about it.

09:15But,

09:16unfortunately,

09:17this is,

09:18we are going back,

09:19many steps.

09:20so,

09:21VIP,

09:22you know,

09:23one of the,

09:24most important areas,

09:25display board isn't working.

09:26You see,

09:27cars pass by over here,

09:28with judges sitting over there.

09:29Yeah.

09:30This is,

09:31remember,

09:32a public holiday,

09:33so there is not much traffic on the roads today.

09:35But,

09:36despite that,

09:37you see,

09:38the apathy is,

09:39that nobody is even questioning,

09:41the monitor not working.

09:42I think,

09:43that is so important.

09:44No matter what you are,

09:45where you are,

09:46this is,

09:47clean air is something that,

09:49we all need.

09:50All our children will suffer,

09:51all our grandchildren will suffer.

09:53So,

09:54I think,

09:55everyone must question,

09:56every,

09:57everything that we see is not working,

09:59appreciate everything that's working,

10:01irrespective of political parties,

10:04affiliations,

10:05that's got nothing to do with this.

10:07Because at the end of the day,

10:08all of us,

10:09are breathing the same air.

10:11Alright,

10:12so that was location three.

10:13Let's find out one more,

10:14and then see what's happening there,

10:16yeah?

10:30We are now at location number four.

10:32This is the JLN Stadium,

10:34the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

10:36This is the place,

10:37where the marathon runners,

10:39came over the weekend,

10:40where AQI had gone all the way to 400,

10:43according to government figures.

10:45And doctors said,

10:46it's laughable,

10:47it's a mass suicide,

10:48if you're actually coming out,

10:50and running in these numbers.

10:52Here,

10:53we are told,

10:54there's supposed to be a CPCB system,

10:57and pollution monitoring system.

10:59We haven't found a display board just yet.

11:02But let's check on our pollution meter,

11:04what it's going.

11:05At the moment on our pollution meter,

11:07it goes on to say that it's up to about 200.

11:11Right?

11:12It fluctuates between 200, 250.

11:14Let's take it on the lower side as 200.

11:16But since we don't have a government figure,

11:18let's quickly check what the app is saying.

11:20I've got this app opened up on our phones.

11:24This is the Samir app,

11:26which records an AQI of 180.

11:29So a bit of a discrepancy over there.

11:32But again,

11:33here in this relatively greener zone of Delhi,

11:39here on a day when the weather gods are actually in our favour,

11:44it's a little windy as well.

11:46You can see the leaves moving as well.

11:48On days like these,

11:50it's still 200.

11:53Why is that worrying?

11:54Because the WHO data says it should be 50 or under.

11:59Can you see the Delhi NCR skyline behind me?

12:03Well, neither can I.

12:05But the point of today's exercise was not just to clear the air.

12:09It was at least to clear the air on pollution numbers.

12:12And what is it that we found out?

12:15Our location number one,

12:17the most polluted part of Delhi NCR,

12:19which is Anand Vihar.

12:21There we see a clear dip of almost 200 points

12:25the minute you have water sprinkling systems going around.

12:29It only happens for a short period,

12:31but it brings down the numbers.

12:33Location number two,

12:35we went to ITO.

12:37A lot of traffic there,

12:38but today being a holiday,

12:40even in this relatively less polluted time,

12:43you see a mismatch.

12:45PM 2.5 on the government machinery

12:48versus what the environmentalist machinery was telling us,

12:52was again a clear slip.

12:54Then we went to the seat of the elite in Delhi NCR.

12:59We went to Lodhi Road.

13:01There, forget mismatch in numbers,

13:03the pollution display system was only defunct.

13:07And apparently it's been defunct for a while.

13:11Nobody really bothers.

13:13Our location number four, GLN.

13:15This is where athletes,

13:17this is where runners,

13:19this is where sporting enthusiasts,

13:21all of them go to exercise.

13:23But even there,

13:25you see the air quality level not really being there.

13:29In fact, we couldn't even find the display board on AQI numbers.

13:33It should be there.

13:34No, if you go for a run,

13:35you should be able to see the AQI.

13:37So what have we learned from this exercise?

13:40Well, there are serious questions and I think they remain to exist.

13:45Even the Supreme Court now has raised some very pertinent questions on the levels of pollution

13:52and not just that, the means with which it's being monitored here in the national capital.

13:57The question is, do we care enough about our lungs, about the lungs of our kids?

14:03Remember, pollution is an equalizer.

14:06From the Prime Minister to the beggar, everybody breathes the same air.

14:10So should we all really care about it?

14:13And the first step to that will be to ensure we know the right numbers.

14:18This was an air pollution reality check.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended