The Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed the Maharashtra government’s explanation that ash clouds from a volcanic eruption in Ethiopia were responsible for the worsening air quality in Mumbai, observing that pollution levels had been high well before the eruption.
A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad was hearing a batch of petitions filed in 2023 concerning deteriorating air quality in the city. Senior advocates Darius Khambata and Janak Dwarkadas, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that Mumbai’s AQI had been consistently above 300 throughout the month.
Additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan argued that air quality had worsened due to the Hayli Gubbi volcano eruption in Ethiopia two days earlier. The bench was not convinced. It noted that pollution levels in the metropolis had already been troubling residents well before the volcanic ash drifted over the region.
“Even before this eruption, if one stepped out, visibility was poor beyond 500 metres,” the court remarked, rejecting the submission that the eruption was a primary factor.
Turning to the wider crisis in northern India, the bench referred to the “alarming” AQI levels in Delhi and pressed the government on what concrete steps could be taken to prevent Mumbai from experiencing similar conditions. “What can be the most effective measures? We are all seeing what is happening in Delhi. What is the effect of that?” the judges asked.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on Friday.
The Hayli Gubbi shield volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted on Sunday, sending an ash plume up to 14 kilometres into the atmosphere. The plume travelled eastward over the Red Sea, the Arabian Peninsula, and towards parts of the Indian subcontinent.
