As Delhi continues to choke over worsening air pollution, the Supreme Court on Monday was informed that several air quality monitoring stations in the city were not working. A counsel appearing before the top court questioned how the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) could be implemented effectively when crucial pollution data was missing.
During the hearing, amicus curiae Aparajita Singh urged the Supreme Court to issue directions to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to take preemptive measures to control the rising pollution levels.
"They have to act before it becomes severe,” the counsel submitted, and also pointed out that several air quality monitoring stations in Delhi were reportedly non-functional.
“There are news reports that the monitoring stations are not working. If the stations are not functioning, we won’t know when to implement GRAP. Let them respond on what the situation is,” the counsel said, highlighting that only 9 out of 37 monitoring stations were operational during Diwali.
“If that’s the case, how will we know when to implement GRAP?” he asked.
In response, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai directed the CAQM and CPCB to submit a report detailing the steps being taken to prevent the air quality from deteriorating further.
Today’s hearing comes as the national capital continues to grapple with worsening air quality, which remained in the ‘very poor’ category.
On Monday morning, Delhi recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 316, with 28 monitoring stations reporting ‘very poor’ air quality levels, each registering readings above 300.
