New Delhi, Oct. 26 -- A video posted by the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP's) Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, showing two Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) water tankers spraying water around the sensors of the Anand Vihar air quality monitoring station, led to a political row on Saturday. Accusing the state government of manipulation of pollution data to artificially lower air quality index (AQI) readings, Bharadwaj called it "data management, not pollution control." Bharadwaj took to X and wrote: "BJP Government - Pollution Data Fraud. Water is being sprayed day and night at the Delhi pollution monitoring station to reduce the pollution and AQI readings. These are the same people who say there is no dishonesty in EVMs. When they engage in dishonesty in everything, what can be expected from them?" The government did not respond to queries on the matter. An unnamed state government official, however, denied the allegations and pointed out that water sprinkling is done throughout the city to mitigate pollution and the same was being done at Anand Vihar. To be sure, sprinkling of water can help contain dissimation of dust -- a major cause of air pollution, which is measured under PM10 concentration. However, doing so only next to a station may temporarily contain PM10 concentration in the small area around said station, which may bring down readings there, experts have warned. The official cited swift action by the government, citing deployment of 376 anti-smog guns, 266 water sprinklers and 91 road-sweeping machines. Besides, 311 inspections of illegal dumping sites were conducted and action taken in 173 instances. East Delhi's Anand Vihar has remained a notorious hot spot of pollution as it hosts a railway station, an interstate bus terminal (ISBT), industrial areas and roads unfit to cater to its footfall. Even when post-monsoon showers in the first half of October the AQI "moderate" level, Anand Vihar remained in the deep-end of "poor". On Saturday, while most other air pollution monitoring stations remained in the "very poor" or "poor" zone, Anand Vihar clocked "severe" air. The AQI at the station at 9pm was 431....