A week after The Times of India flagged the absence of pollution data during peak hours on Diwali night, the paper followed it up with a scathing editorial asking a simple and searing question: How serious is India about its air?

In an editorial headlined “just hot air,” the paper noted that Delhi’s air quality didn’t appear to plummet to ‘severe’ levels after Diwali “simply because when crackers started turning the capital into a gas chamber around 10 pm, its air monitoring stations mysteriously malfunctioned.” By 1 am, only 19 out of 39 monitoring stations were functional; two hours later, barely 12 were. By morning, when the smoke had cleared, the data stream miraculously returned, it highlighted.

In all, 163 hours of Diwali AQI data vanished this year, compared to just 34 last year, the editorial noted. “So, nobody knows how bad Delhi’s air got on Diwali, and what impact green crackers had on it. Without strong, dependable data – in terms of both quantity and quality – how do you shape policy?” it asked.

This is a critical point because the Rekha Gupta government has claimed an improved air pollution record as compared to previous years.

The editorial also reminded readers that India has 13 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities, and that air pollution is cutting short the average Indian’s life by over five years. It pointed to Byrnihat, a small town on the Assam-Meghalaya border, now among the world’s most polluted thanks to unchecked industrialisation, while Delhi continues its streak as the most polluted capital for six years running.

In times when air pollution stories often disappear into seasonal outrage, it’s worth noting when a legacy newsroom stays with the story. That’s what our #FightToBreathe campaign is about – calling out the spin and spotlighting those who hold power to account. As TOI put it, “ostriches don’t bury their heads in sand when faced with danger, but some other two-legged creatures do.”

Small teams can do great things. All it takes is a subscription. Subscribe now and power Newslaundry’s work.  

Here’s how you can join the Fight To Breathe. Click here to power the collaborative campaign.