New Delhi was ranked the world’s most polluted major city on Saturday by Swiss group IQAir, on the eve of Diwali, as the Supreme Court blamed vehicular pollution for worsening air quality in the capital.
According to SCMP, IQAir ranked New Delhi the world’s most polluted major city on Saturday morning. The sources do not give the exact air quality reading behind the ranking, and no second independent source confirms it. The SCMP material is a headline and short excerpt only.
Delhi’s Air Quality Index has remained above the ‘hazardous’ 300 mark this week, according to DW.
On Friday, the Supreme Court said vehicular pollution is a major contributor to deteriorating air quality in Delhi and questioned the effectiveness of government measures to curb it, according to DW. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said bumper-to-bumper traffic on roads in Delhi and connecting to the National Capital Region is a major cause of pollution.
The court said farmers should be given economic incentives and practical alternatives to stubble burning, and encouraged responsible Diwali celebrations, where firecrackers add to pollution, DW reported. The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said it is utopian to expect Delhi winter air below 100 AQI when ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ have become the new normal.
Air quality in the capital regularly plummets at the start of winter, as weather conditions help trap pollutants, according to DW. Diwali is usually marked by widespread firecracker use that further worsens air quality, according to SCMP.
Ahead of Diwali on Sunday, India has ordered schools in and around Delhi to offer online classes and encouraged people to work from home, according to SCMP.
The sources do not include any response from the Delhi or central government to the Supreme Court remarks. They also do not say what measures beyond the school and work-from-home guidance will be taken, when the Supreme Court will next hear the matter, or what enforcement steps will follow Diwali.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.