SC to hear plea raising air pollution issue in Delhi on Nov 10

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine on November 10 a plea seeking urgent steps in connection with air pollution in Delhi.

A lawyer mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice U.U. Lalit and sought an urgent hearing in the matter. The lawyer pointed out that air pollution in the capital is in severe category due to increase in stubble burning.

The top court said it agrees that the matter requires intervention and scheduled the plea for hearing on November 10.

The air quality of the national capital on Thursday morning turned "severe" as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city stood at 418, according to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

However, by the evening, the overall Air Quality Index further deteriorated and surged to 458, as per the SAFAR data. The PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentration stood at 458 and 433, respectively, both under the same 'Severe' category, according to the SAFAR data. The AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good'; from 51 to 100 'satisfactory'; 101- 200 'moderate'; 201-300 'poor'; 301-400 'very poor'; and 401-500 'severe'.