News from Delhi-NCR: The AQI for Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram is still “very poor.”

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported that the general quality of the air in the nation’s capital remained “very poor” on Thursday.

The CPCB reports that at 334 on Thursday morning, the AQI at IGI Airport (T3) fell into the “very poor” category. At 7 a.m., the AQI in the New Moti Bagh region was 343, falling into the “very poor” category. Thursday at 7 a.m., Punjabi Bagh’s air quality was rated as “very poor” with 405 points.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium’s AQI was measured at 345 on Thursday at 7 a.m., falling into the “very poor” category, according to statistics released by the CPCB.

R. K. Puram’s AQI was measured at 360, which falls into the “very poor” category. Furthermore, the CPCB reports that around 7 am, the Anand Vihar area’s AQI of 358 fell into the “very poor” zone.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court emphasized that burning agricultural residues must end since it negatively impacts the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR)’s air quality. It also ordered state governments to take action to reduce pollution. The ‘ very poor’ category still applies to the air quality of Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida, and Greater Noida.

“Let us endeavor to make the next winter a bit better, at least,” a bench consisting of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said. Justice Kaul said that crop burning “must stop,” stressing the need for judicial oversight to make sure they do not experience the same situation next year.

Farm fires were nonetheless considered serious, according to the Supreme Court. Year after year, the top court was considering a case involving the problem of wintertime air pollution in Delhi-NCR. The court observed that the committee, which is led by the Union Cabinet Secretary, has met several times and that it has produced an action plan that the states, including Punjab and Haryana, may use to address the problem. Within two months, the bench requested that the states in question carry out the action plans and provide progress reports to the highest court.

It’s possible that this issue requires ongoing observation. What really occurs is that we address the issue as soon as it comes up. The bench noted that the court needed to keep an eye on it for a while.

Along with placing the minutes of the committee meetings presided over by the Cabinet Secretary, Attorney General R Venkataramani also filed a memorandum on behalf of the Center outlining the measures to be done to prevent agricultural fires.

“There is something to be done by Punjab, something to be done by Haryana, something to be done by Delhi and something to be done by different ministries,” the court said.

An affidavit detailing the process for obtaining environmental compensation from the people in charge of burning agricultural waste has also been submitted by the Punjabi government. The Punjab notified the top court at the most recent session that the offenders had been ordered to pay an overall sum of Rs two crore in environmental compensation.

The recovered sum is still only around 53% of the fine assessed, the bench remarked. It questioned, “Recoveries must be accelerated.” The issue has been scheduled for hearing by the bench on February 27. The appeal on air pollution and the complex matter of burning agricultural waste was brought before the Supreme Court in 1985.