The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that the Center and concerned authorities review their action plan to reduce air pollution levels in Delhi NCR and assess whether the current strategy has brought about any effective changes, ANI reported.
“Why don’t you take another look at your action plan to see for yourself, have you made any effective changes? And if so, are they less than needed? We think it’s important to evaluate whether any of your action plans have proven to be effective, ineffective, or less effective?” Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said.
The Supreme Court asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), what other factors are contributing to the increase in air pollution in Delhi apart from stubble burning.
The Supreme Court said it is easy to blame farmers who remain unrepresented in court. A scientific analysis of other factors (besides stubble burning) contributing to the rise in air pollution should also be taken into account, the top court added.
The court noted that the skies were clear during the COVID lockdown, although stubble burning continued as usual. “The stubble burning was going on as usual. Why could people see the blue sky 4-5 years ago? Why couldn’t they see now?” SC asked.
The Supreme Court said it will hear the air pollution issue at least twice a month. He admitted that the situation may calm down after the winter season, but in this respect “history will repeat itself”. The court adjourned the matter to December 10.
Air quality in Delhi remained ‘poor’
Air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘poor’ category on Monday morning, with the air quality index (AQI) rising to 299 at 7 am compared to 279 at 4 pm on Sunday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
The national capital has recorded “poor” air quality for the past two days after showing an improvement from the “very poor” category on Sunday as the AQI dropped to 279 from 305 reported on Saturday.
According to the CPCB, Nehru Nagar recorded the highest AQI in the city at 354 as of 7 am, placing it in the “very poor” category.
Other highly affected areas included Rohini (341), Bawana (339), RK Puram (336), Mundka (330) and Punjab Bagh (328), all of which continued to show unsafe air quality.
Meanwhile, Delhi-NCR’s air quality scenario has shown consistent improvement this year, with the region recording the lowest average AQI for January-November in the last eight years, barring 2020 — the year of the COVID-19 lockdown — according to data shared on Sunday.
(With input from agencies)
