Supremeโค Court Seeks Details on Delhi‘s Air โขQuality Monitoring
New Delhi – The Supreme Court โtoday directed the Delhi goverment toโฃ file an affidavit detailing the equipment used to measure the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) and to assess the accuracy of โthose โmeasurements. A bench comprised of Chief โฃJustice B.R. Gavai, and Justices โK. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, requested the details be submitted within two days. โthe court specifically asked the โGovernment of National Capital Territory โฃofโข Delhi (GNCTD) to explain the “nature of โขthe equipment being used and their efficiency inโ gauging AQI.”
The โdirective came duringโข aโค hearing where concerns were raised regarding the reliability of AQI data.Amicus curiae Aparajita Singh brought to the โฃcourt’s attention media reports alleging thatโ water was being sprayed โnear AQI monitoring stations, potentially manipulatingโ the reported pollution levelsโข – referencing a report detailing unusual fluctuations in PM10 levels. Newsโ reports documenting these claims wereโ also submitted.
Responding on behalf of โthe โcentral government, Additional โขsolicitorโฃ General Aishwarya Bhati acknowledged that water sprinkling was occurring across Delhi, but suggested that videos circulating on the matter were being disseminated by political parties.
Singh also highlighted concerns about โขunderreporting of โขfarm fire incidents in official data. She emphasized the need for providing farmers with sufficient machinery to manage crop residue without resorting to burning, identifying equipment-basedโ disposal as a crucialโข long-term solution. She โคfurther explained that a limitedโข timeframeโ existsโค for farmers between harvesting paddy and preparing fields forโข wheat sowing, a situation compounded by Punjab’s water conservation laws which delay โขpaddyโฃ planting.