Can we trust Delhi's pollution data? Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor finds out

India Today

In this edition of 5 Live, the focus is on India Today's reality check on whether we can trust the air pollution data in Delhi, amid AAP's allegations of AQI data being manipulated by the BJP-led government in the national 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.

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