Petition filed in Supreme Court over deadly Delhi smog; NGT demands answers

The Delhi smog is a public health emergency.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea seeking proper monitoring of worsening pollution level in Delhi and adjoining areas.

The court will hear the petition tomorrow after statutory body Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) mentioned the matter in Court today.

Sunita Narain, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and a member of EPCA, said, “The situation in Delhi is very bad. There is poison in the air and it's a public health emergency.”

“We hope that the court will direct governments...tough steps need to be taken,” she added.

“We can't leave this city, we have to live here and fight to clean the air,” Narain said.

Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal, which has sought a report from the Delhi government on the compliance of its earlier orders on curbing pollution the national capital, pulled by the Kejriwal government over the delay in taking preventive steps like the sprinkling of water on the roads to curb the dust pollution.

Today is the eight-day of smog cover in the national capital region. Schools have been shut and all construction activity halted as governments try to control the problem.

Delhi Health Chief Minister Satyender Jain said, “10 ideas were presented by us yesterday. We are dealing with this issue very strongly.”

Jain added that preparation for the next round of OddEven has started, and the situation will be reviewed on Friday, before a final decision on its implementation is taken.