At peak of air pollution on Deepavali night, data goes missing at several govt monitoring stations in Delhi

People commute shrouded in thick smog during early morning hours after Deepavali night in New Delhi on November 09, 2026. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

At the peak of pollution, following the bursting of firecrackers on Deepavali night, air quality data was missing from several monitoring stations managed by government authorities, raising questions over the actual air pollution levels. 

Air quality readings went blank for several stations for many hours, as per websites of the Delhi government’s Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the Central government’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Data of PM2.5 was missing for several hours for many stations in Delhi including Anand Vihar, Patparganj, Bawana, among others, as per DPCC’s website.

PM2.5 (Particulate matter 2.5) are fine inhalable particles, which can get into lungs and bloodstream and lead to a range of respiratory and other diseases.

Last year also, data went missing from many stations in a similar way during Deepavali.