Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s recent explanation on using mist sprayers at pollution hotspots has triggered a sharp counterattack from former CM Arvind Kejriwal, who accused the government of trying to “mask” the Capital’s worsening air quality.

In a post on X, Kejriwal mocked Gupta’s comparison of the Air Quality Index to “temperature,” asking when this “new scientific theory” was introduced. He claimed Gupta’s own remarks reveal that the administration is deliberately spraying water around AQI monitoring equipment so that “actual pollution levels never reach the public eye.”

Kejriwal wrote that if water spraying is happening specifically where AQI machines are installed, it raises serious doubts about the government’s intention — suggesting that the focus is on lowering numbers, not pollution.

Gupta’s Explanation Sparks Debate

In a recent interview, Gupta was questioned about allegations that workers were sprinkling water around AQI sensors to artificially deflate readings. She responded:

“A hotspot simply means an area with high pollution. Naturally, you treat the hotspot — you improve the soil, sprinkle water, and take corrective steps. So yes, spraying happens where pollution is highest.”

When asked whether watering near monitors distorts AQI data, Gupta stated, “AQI is like temperature — any device can measure it. Spraying water is part of the solution, and that is what we are doing.”

Her remarks have intensified the dispute over why government-issued AQI figures appear steady even as residents report visibly deteriorating air conditions.

Opposition Accuses Government of Data Manipulation

AAP leaders repeated their charge that the BJP-run government is “fiddling” with pollution numbers.
Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged the administration temporarily deactivates AQI stations and sprays water around the ones still functioning.

“The government’s priority is not to reduce toxic air, but to reduce the numbers showing toxic air,” Bhardwaj claimed.

AAP spokesperson Priya Kakkar added that “the BJP has instructed workers to dilute readings by spraying water near monitors,” accusing the ruling party of misleading citizens while “sitting indoors with air purifiers.”

Gupta earlier described Delhi’s winter pollution as a long-standing, inherited issue and announced plans to use 305 mist sprayers across nine hotspots to tackle toxic air.

Air Quality Continues Its Annual Decline

As winter sets in, Delhi has again slipped into hazardous conditions, with air quality oscillating between “poor” and “very poor” over the past two weeks — a pattern that emerges every post-Diwali season.

Under CPCB guidelines:

• 0–50: Good

• 51–100: Satisfactory

• 101–200: Moderate

• 201–300: Poor

• 301–400: Very Poor

• 401–500: Severe

Residents report the familiar grey haze thickening across the city, even as the political fight over data accuracy shows no signs of easing.