New Delhi, December 15 (EFE). – Persistent smog caused by heavy air pollution in New Delhi forced India’s Supreme Court on Monday to recommend holding hearings in a hybrid format, while worsening visibility paralyzed air and rail traffic in the capital.
According to monitoring platforms and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) in New Delhi remained in the ‘severe’ category on Monday with values ranging between 430 and a maximum of 500 points, while some stations recorded peaks of up to 721 points in the early hours.
The official scale considers values above 400 points to be “severe”, i.e. dangerous even for healthy people, as exposure to pollutants such as particulate matter PM2.5 exceeds the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) by more than twenty times.
According to an official Supreme Court circular reported by India’s PTI, Judiciary President Surya Kant advised lawyers and parties to opt for appearances via video conferencing whenever possible.
Poor visibility caused by smog directly impacted operations at Delhi International Airport. According to the Flightradar24 platform, the airport experienced maximum disruption, with average delays of up to 140 minutes for arrivals and 65 minutes for departures, as well as dozens of canceled flights.
The authorities maintain the activated Phase IV of the Gradual Response Plan against Pollution (GRAP), the strictest level of the protocol, which prohibits all construction and demolition activities in the capital and its metropolitan area, limits the entry of highly polluting vehicles and encourages teleworking and teaching in hybrid mode.
According to the federal government, public hospitals in New Delhi recorded more than 200,000 cases of acute respiratory illnesses between 2022 and 2024. This is linked to chronic episodes of toxic air that make the Indian capital one of the worst air quality cities in the world every winter. EFE
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