New Delhi: Expressing grave concern over deteriorating air quality in the national capital, the Supreme Court asked Delhi and four neighboring states to submit a report on steps they have taken to curb pollution. Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have been given a week time to submit a detailed account of the measures implemented to combat the situation. A three-judge bench headed by Justice SK Kaul and comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and PK Mishra will now hear the matter on November 7.
The court noted that air pollution will have a huge impact on future generations. “Winters used to be the season in Delhi a few decades ago”, the bench said.
Further, the court added that crop burning is one of the main reasons for air pollution in Delhi. Punjab has recorded a sudden surge in stubble burning after a relatively smoke-less October, data by the NASA showed. The state saw a 740 per cent increase on Sunday with 1,068 farm fire incidents – the highest in a single day in the current harvesting season.
The Supreme Court also directed the Central Air Quality Management (CAQM) to submit a report on when the problem started and the current ground situation, including parameters like the Air Quality Index (AQI) and the number of incidents of farm fires.
Air quality in some parts of the national capital dropped to the ‘severe’ category and is expected to remain ‘very poor’ for a few more days.
Delhi’s air quality in October 2023 has been worse compared to the last two years and meteorologists attribute it to the lack of rainfall. A month back, the Aam Aadmi Party government launched a 15-point action plan last month to mitigate air pollution during the winter season, with a strong emphasis on addressing dust pollution, vehicular emissions and open burning of garbage.