The Supreme Court has scheduled an urgent hearing for November 18 to address a plea concerning the escalating pollution levels in Delhi, following concerns that the city could become the most polluted globally. This decision was announced on Thursday by a bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih.
The plea, brought forth by senior advocate Aprajita Singh—who serves as the amicus curiae—stressed the critical pollution status in Delhi, emphasizing the failure to implement preemptive measures despite previous court directives. “Since yesterday, we have been in severe mode. Just to avoid this situation, this court has asked them to take preemptive action. They have not done anything. We should not become the most polluted city in the world,” Singh expressed to the bench.
During the proceedings, Singh also mentioned that she had notified the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) about the matter, urging them to outline the steps being taken to mitigate the situation.
The urgency of the issue is underscored by the latest data from the Central Pollution Control Board, which indicated that Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 428 at 9 am on Thursday, categorizing it as ‘severe’. Out of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi, 32 have recorded ‘severe’ air quality levels with readings above 400, affecting major areas including Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, IGI Airport, and others.
This alarming situation follows the observance of worsening air quality over recent days, with Wednesday’s AQI reaching 418, the highest in the country and marking the season’s first entry into the ‘severe’ category. This spike in pollution levels followed a significant rise from the previous day’s AQI of 334.
