Supreme Court Approved a Common Four Level Pollution Code for Delhi NCR

The Supreme Court of India approved a common four-level pollution code, thereby categorising it as "Moderate to Poor", "Very Poor", "Severe" and "Very Severe or Emergency". CPCB will closely monitor air quality in the city and the public will be sent out appropriate advisory based on the pollution codes.

For more than past one month, the National Capital Region has been witnessing key changes and amendments to improve the sate of pollution in the capital. Regarded as the most polluted of all the cities in the world, Delhi has a lot to do to remove the tag on it. We have seen a lot of steps taken by the centre and the state governments. Now, Supreme Court of India, the apex legal body of the country has approved a common pollution code for Delhi and National Capital Region, which is similar to the one applied in Beijing, China. According to the code, the severity of pollution is categorised into four categories namely "Moderate to Poor", "Very Poor", "Severe" and "Very Severe or Emergency".

Earlier, the authorities have taken several steps where the Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal as well as Government of Delhi have shared their part. Delhi properties and realty developers were asked to stop all construction activity in Delhi and NCR for a week. Several other measures taken include.

• Banning the practice of burning dry leaves or waste 
• Banning diesel generators for 10 days except at hospitals 
• Shutting down of the Badarpur Power Plant 
• Vacuuming cleaning and sprinkling of water on roads 
• Banning the sale of fireworks in Delhi

The recommendations to notify the severity or level of four categories of pollution was made by the Delhi and Union governments to a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, which was later approved by the bench. He bench said, "Enforcement of graded response action plan shall be under the orders of Environment Pollution (Control and Prevention) Authority (EPCA) and all other authorities should act in aid of such direction."

To further boost, the situation SC also has directed Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its infrastructure immediately for gathering weather and pollution information. In addition, CPCB is asked to set up additional pollution monitoring and control stations in various parts of the capital within the next six months.

Based on the analysis of the air quality on a daily basis, appropriate advisory will be issued to the public. CPCB as a detailed plan of action in place that says that air quality information will be sent to concerned chief secretaries of National Capital Region so that the graded response mechanism can be implemented and enforced at the earliest.

Central Pollution Control Board.