Mumbai Air Pollution: Bombay HC Rejects State’s Ethiopia Volcano Claim, Says AQI Was Poor Long Before Eruption

Mumbai, Nov 27: The Bombay High Court on Thursday chastised the state authorities for blaming the Ethiopia volcanic ash for the air pollution in the city. The court observed that the air quality index has been poor much before that.

Bench Hears Petitions on Rising Air Pollution

The remarks were made by a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad when it was urged to urgently hear a batch of petitions, including a suo motu (on its own) petition of 2023, highlighting the issue of air pollution in the city.

Amicus Curiae Flags AQI Above 300 Throughout Month

On Thursday, senior counsel Darius Khambata, who was appointed as amicus curiae (friend of the court), informed the court that the AQI in the city has been consistently poor and above 300 this month.

State Attributes Pollution Spike to Ethiopia Volcano

Additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan, however, said the air pollution has worsened due to the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia two days back.

Court Discards Claim, Notes Pollution Was Already High

Discarding the explanation, the bench remarked that the air pollution had been bad much before the eruption of the volcano. “Even before this eruption, if one stepped out, visibility was poor beyond 500 meters,” the bench quipped.

Judges Compare Situation to Delhi, Seek Measures

The judges referred to the alarming level of AQI being witnessed by Delhi currently and asked what effective measures can be taken to address the issue. “What can be the most effective measures? We are all seeing what is happening in Delhi? What is the effect of that,” the judges asked. The court has kept the matter for hearing on Friday.

HC Has Monitored AQI Since Taking Suo Motu Cognisance in 2023

On October 31, 2023, the court had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the rising pollution and expressed concern over the “deteriorating” air quality index (AQI). A month later, the HC had formed a committee comprising an environment expert, an expert from IIT, and a retired principal secretary.

Authorities Directed to Keep AQI in Check

Ever since, the court has been monitoring the situation and issued various directives to the authorities, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, to keep AQI in check.

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Unicef Report Highlights High Pollution-Linked Deaths

Last year, a report prepared by Unicef was submitted to the court, according to which 21 lakh people died in India due to air pollution, of which 1,69,000 children were under five years old.

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