SC seeks status report from CAQM on worsening Delhi air quality

New Delhi, Nov 3: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to submit a status report on the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, following reports that most monitoring stations were not operational during Diwali.

According to Bar & Bench, a Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran passed the order after being informed that only 9 of Delhi’s 37 air quality monitoring systems were functioning during the festival.

Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, who serves as amicus curiae in the Delhi air pollution matter, urged the Court to seek an immediate update from the CAQM. “There needs to be a report from CAQM on the current air pollution status. Out of 37 in Delhi, only 9 monitoring systems were functioning during Diwali,” Singh submitted.

The Bench then directed the CAQM to file a status report on the current situation. A day after Diwali celebrations, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) plummeted to the “severe” category, with smog blanketing large parts of the city. Bar & Bench also noted that recent media reports alleged that the Delhi government deployed water tankers near air quality monitoring stations to artificially improve AQI readings, a claim that has drawn widespread criticism.

The Supreme Court had earlier permitted the use of green crackers during Diwali in Delhi and surrounding areas. However, with pollution levels rising sharply, medical experts have warned residents, particularly those with respiratory illnesses, to consider leaving the capital temporarily.