Delhi air pollution: SC to hear plea seeking enforcement of measures to improve ‘severe’ AQI

Delhi faces severe air pollution crisis as Supreme Court hears plea for urgent measures on November 18.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday (November 18, 2024) a plea seeking enforcement of measures to curb air pollution in the National Capital.

Delhi woke up to toxic air conditions on Sunday (November 17, 2024) as the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the "severe" category.

The AQI stood at 429 at 9 am, according to the 'Sameer App', which provides hourly updates from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The 24-hour average AQI was recorded at 417 at 4 pm on Saturday (November 16, 2024).

As per the cause list of November 18 uploaded on the apex court website, a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih is slated to hear the plea.

On November 14, the top court had agreed to urgently list the plea after it was told that Delhi should not become the most polluted city in the world due to the rising pollution.

The bench had agreed to list the matter after senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who has been assisting the apex court as an amicus curiae in the matter, requested for urgent hearing looking at the prevailing situation in Delhi.

The amicus had told the bench that she had intimated the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) and they should explain the steps being taken to curb pollution.