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New Delhi’s air quality index has soared above 400 this week, in the “severe” category, prompting authorities to impose restrictions on construction and industrial activity.
Describing the situation as “very, very serious”, the Supreme Court on Thursday, November 13, asked lawyers to consider using its virtual hearing facility.
According to India Today, among other media, Justice PS Narasimha said, “It (air pollution) will cause permanent damage… Even masks are not enough.”
The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
According to India’s Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality index at the monitoring station closest to the Supreme Court on Thursday was 437, which puts readings between zero and 50 in the “good” category.
The Supreme Court, with 34 judges, is one of more than a dozen courts and tribunals based in the capital, a center of litigation where hundreds of lawyers argue cases.
In the past, officials have blamed the smoke that engulfs the city every winter on people in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana illegally burning crop residue to clear their farms.
Experts say that many Supreme Court directives on air quality in the last decade have not been properly implemented.
A study in 2023 showed that smog disrupts livelihoods every year in parts of South Asia, with impacts that could reduce per capita life expectancy by more than five years.
City residents turned out for a rare protest over the weekend demanding action to address toxic air.
(edited by : Priyanka Deshpande,