Delhi’s air quality has reached hazardous levels, with the Air Quality Index crossing 400, signaling a severe pollution crisis in the national capital. The Supreme Court has strongly criticized both the Delhi government and central administration for their delayed response, questioning why they didn’t implement the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) sooner.
In response, the Supreme Court ordered the immediate enforcement of GRAP-4, which will remain in effect until further notice. The measure includes halting all construction and demolition activities across Delhi-NCR, barring heavy vehicles from entering the city, and implementing strict even-odd rules for vehicles. Additionally, schools up to the fifth grade have shifted to online classes, and private and public offices have instructed 50% of their workforce to work from home.
The Supreme Court questioned the government’s delay in taking action and criticized it for waiting until the crisis worsened before enforcing air quality measures. According to the Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Delhi’s air quality reached an alarming 481 this morning, with Dwarka reporting the highest AQI of 499.