📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Goutam1962
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Delhi’s Diwali Night AQI: Clarifying the Reported Figures of 2000, 1300 and 500
✍️ India Today
🗓 09 Nov 2026, 10:36 PM
👁 27
India Today examined the conflicting AQI numbers reported for Delhi on Diwali night and found the official reading was far lower than the sensational figures.
On the night of Diwali, social media platforms were flooded with alarming claims that Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) had surged to 2,000, 1,300 or even 500, prompting widespread panic among residents.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) later released verified data showing that the AQI peaked at roughly 350‑400 during the peak firecracker hours – a level that is hazardous but nowhere near the exaggerated numbers circulating online.
Experts explained that the disparity arose from the use of different monitoring apps and sensors, some of which apply proprietary algorithms that can inflate readings when particulate matter spikes sharply. Official continuous monitoring stations, however, follow standardized methods and provide the figures cited by the CPCB.
Health advisories issued by the authorities warned people with respiratory conditions, children and the elderly to stay indoors and use masks, while the city administration enforced a temporary ban on firecrackers in several zones.
The episode underscores the need for caution when sharing unverified environmental data, as misinformation can exacerbate public anxiety even when the actual air quality, though poor, is accurately documented.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) later released verified data showing that the AQI peaked at roughly 350‑400 during the peak firecracker hours – a level that is hazardous but nowhere near the exaggerated numbers circulating online.
Experts explained that the disparity arose from the use of different monitoring apps and sensors, some of which apply proprietary algorithms that can inflate readings when particulate matter spikes sharply. Official continuous monitoring stations, however, follow standardized methods and provide the figures cited by the CPCB.
Health advisories issued by the authorities warned people with respiratory conditions, children and the elderly to stay indoors and use masks, while the city administration enforced a temporary ban on firecrackers in several zones.
The episode underscores the need for caution when sharing unverified environmental data, as misinformation can exacerbate public anxiety even when the actual air quality, though poor, is accurately documented.