Delhi woke up to a thick haze on 22 Oct, a day after millions of people celebrated the Diwali (Hindu festival of lights) with fireworks, marking the beginning of the pollution season that has become an annual blight on India’s capital. Since 2020, the sale and bursting of firecrackers were banned in Delhi during Diwali due to their contribution to the deadly smog that engulfs the city as winter sets in. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in Delhi this year. The government petitioned the Supreme Court of India which permitted 'green' crackers. No one heeded the green part. Is the celebration and pride dependent on noise and pollution? To the citizens' detriment and obscuring accurate data, while the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported AQI levels well below 400, international applications like Swiss Air’s IQAir showed AQI figures crossing 2K in several areas. One reason for variance is the number of parameters each of them uses. Two, is in data sources: while the CPCB relies on analyzer-based reference-grade monitors, IQAir's index is largely sensor-based. Three, CPCB’s calculations are based on 24-hour average concentrations while IQAir reports AQI more frequently, which can lead to significantly higher readings. Four, BJP manipulated data by using sprinklers near sensors and bringing down the readings. All these did not stop the Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa from accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ruled Panjab for polluting Delhi. Sirsa accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of forcing Panjab farmers to burn paddy straw to cause air pollution. He said farmers were covering their faces while burning straw but that is how farmers set fires to avoid being affected by smoke. An X handle @epanchjanya shared a video clip showing farmers burning paddy straw. The video has proved to be fake, from Nov 2024. Sirsa also accused AAP of earlier banning firecrackers to appease a particular community (Muslim) and now criticizing the festival. ‘Diwali is a Sanatan Hindu festival, why are you cursing the festival?’ This jibe fits the pattern of BJP’s attempt to whip up majoritarian support instead of addressing facts (earlier coverage).
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