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The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to urgently list on November 18, a plea seeking enforcement of measures to check pollution in the national capital after it was told that Delhi should not become the most polluted city in the world.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih agreed to list the matter after senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who has been appointed as amicus curiae, requested for urgent hearing looking at the prevailing situation in Delhi.
"Since yesterday we have been in severe mode. Just to avoid this situation, this court has asked them to take pre-emptive action. They have not done anything. We should not become the most polluted city in the world," Singh told the bench.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI was 426 at 9 am in the national capital.
A thick layer of smog engulfed the national capital on Thursday morning and there was no respite from the pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi on Thursday, November 14, was under the ‘severe’ category.
Most areas in the city recorded an AQI of over 400, posing a significant health hazard to residents. At around 9:00 am, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 470, Wazipur 466, Patparganj 472, IGI Airport 435, Ashok Vihar 469, Alipur 406 and Jahangirpuri 470.
As per CPCB, the air quality index from 0 to 50 is considered 'good,' 51 to 100 is considered 'satisfactory,' 101 to 200 is 'moderate,' 201 to 300 is 'poor,' 301 to 400 is 'very poor,' and from 401 to 500 is under the 'severe' category.
The AQI under the 'severe' category can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), air quality is likely to be in the 'severe' category on November 14 and the 'very poor' category from November 15 to 16.
Palam airport reported moderate fog with visibility of 300 metres from 07:00 am to 08:30 am, which improved to 400 m at 09:00 am. Safdarjung Airport recorded the lowest visibility of 400 metres between 7 am and 9 am.
The severe pollution has also caused poor visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
In a post on X, Delhi Airport said low visibility procedures were in progress. It added that all the flight operations were normal but requested to contact the concerned airline for updated information.
Airlines such as IndiGo have advised passengers of potential flight delays due to slower operations in the fog. Earlier in the morning, IndiGo urged passengers to keep a tab on their flight status as some flights might be delayed.
“This morning, winter fog may impact flights to/from Amritsar, Varanasi & Delhi. Do keep a tab on your flight status before heading to the airport. Also, please allow additional travel time as road traffic may move slower than usual due to low visibility. Thank you for your patience, and we wish you a smooth journey,” it wrote on X.
Meanwhile, toxic foam was seen floating on the surface of the Yamuna River in Delhi's Kalindi Kunj area, as pollution levels remained high. A layer of haze was also witnessed in the sky on Thursday.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, New Delhi, predicted mainly clear skies over the city, followed by smog/dense to very dense fog in the morning and smog/mist/moderate fog likely in the evening and night. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 29 and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively. The humidity level stood at 96% at 8:30 am.
According to the weather forecast department, there has been a slight fall in minimum temperature over Delhi/NCR during the past 24 hours.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai will hold a review meeting with concerned departmental officials in view of the rising pollution in the Green War Room at the Delhi Secretariat at 11 am on Thursday.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih agreed to list the matter after senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who has been appointed as amicus curiae, requested for urgent hearing looking at the prevailing situation in Delhi.
"Since yesterday we have been in severe mode. Just to avoid this situation, this court has asked them to take pre-emptive action. They have not done anything. We should not become the most polluted city in the world," Singh told the bench.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI was 426 at 9 am in the national capital.
A thick layer of smog engulfed the national capital on Thursday morning and there was no respite from the pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi on Thursday, November 14, was under the ‘severe’ category.
#WATCH | Delhi: A thick layer of smog engulfs the Akshardham Temple and surrounding areas as the air quality deteriorates to 'Severe' category in several parts of the national capital, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
AQI in Anand Vihar is at 473 pic.twitter.com/D9kG71TBhc
— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2024
#WATCH | Delhi: A layer of smog envelops the capital city as pollution levels continue to rise.
Visuals from the AIIMS. The AQI has been recorded at 438 in the Sirifort area, categorised as 'severe' according to the CPCB. pic.twitter.com/sg5zafXxLZ
— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2024
Most areas in the city recorded an AQI of over 400, posing a significant health hazard to residents. At around 9:00 am, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 470, Wazipur 466, Patparganj 472, IGI Airport 435, Ashok Vihar 469, Alipur 406 and Jahangirpuri 470.
As per CPCB, the air quality index from 0 to 50 is considered 'good,' 51 to 100 is considered 'satisfactory,' 101 to 200 is 'moderate,' 201 to 300 is 'poor,' 301 to 400 is 'very poor,' and from 401 to 500 is under the 'severe' category.
The AQI under the 'severe' category can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), air quality is likely to be in the 'severe' category on November 14 and the 'very poor' category from November 15 to 16.
Palam airport reported moderate fog with visibility of 300 metres from 07:00 am to 08:30 am, which improved to 400 m at 09:00 am. Safdarjung Airport recorded the lowest visibility of 400 metres between 7 am and 9 am.
The severe pollution has also caused poor visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
In a post on X, Delhi Airport said low visibility procedures were in progress. It added that all the flight operations were normal but requested to contact the concerned airline for updated information.
Airlines such as IndiGo have advised passengers of potential flight delays due to slower operations in the fog. Earlier in the morning, IndiGo urged passengers to keep a tab on their flight status as some flights might be delayed.
#6ETravelAdvisory : This morning, winter fog may impact flights to/from #Amritsar, #Varanasi & #Delhi. Do keep a tab on your flight status https://t.co/CjwsVzFov0 before heading to the airport. Also, please allow additional travel time as road traffic may move slower (1/2)
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) November 13, 2024
“This morning, winter fog may impact flights to/from Amritsar, Varanasi & Delhi. Do keep a tab on your flight status before heading to the airport. Also, please allow additional travel time as road traffic may move slower than usual due to low visibility. Thank you for your patience, and we wish you a smooth journey,” it wrote on X.
Meanwhile, toxic foam was seen floating on the surface of the Yamuna River in Delhi's Kalindi Kunj area, as pollution levels remained high. A layer of haze was also witnessed in the sky on Thursday.
#WATCH | Delhi | Toxic foam floats on the surface of Yamuna River in the Kalindi Kunj area. A layer of haze also witnessed in the sky as the air quality remains in the 'Very Poor' category. pic.twitter.com/g95x6HuYjN
— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2024
The Regional Meteorological Centre, New Delhi, predicted mainly clear skies over the city, followed by smog/dense to very dense fog in the morning and smog/mist/moderate fog likely in the evening and night. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 29 and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively. The humidity level stood at 96% at 8:30 am.
According to the weather forecast department, there has been a slight fall in minimum temperature over Delhi/NCR during the past 24 hours.
Delhi | In view of the rising pollution, Environment Minister Gopal Rai will hold a review meeting with concerned departmental officials in the Green War Room at Delhi Secretariat at 11 am today: Office of Environment Minister
— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2024
Environment Minister Gopal Rai will hold a review meeting with concerned departmental officials in view of the rising pollution in the Green War Room at the Delhi Secretariat at 11 am on Thursday.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Nov 14, 2024 11:39 AM IST
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