Supreme Court Sanctions Centre’s Graded Response Action Plan to Tackle Pollution

Supreme Court Sanctions Centre’s Graded Response Action Plan to Tackle Pollution The Supreme Court  on December 2, 2016, given its approval to the Centre’s Graded Response Action Plan to tackle different levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR. A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice A K Sikri & Justice S A Bobde has also directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to

upgrade its existing infrastructure and set up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR within six months.

iii. The sanction came after environmentalist Sunita Narain from the Centre for Science and Environment told the bench that the Centre’s graded response action plan to tackle different levels of pollution was “acceptable” and can be put into operation.

iv. The action plan proposes common pollution code for Delhi. The code categorises the severity of the pollutants present in the air into four categories depending upon the level of pollutants in air: Moderate To Poor, Very Poor, Severe, Emergency 

v. If the particulate matter (PM) 2.5 levels are above 250 to 430 micrograms per cubic metre in the ambient air it will be termed as “severe” levels of pollution after which immediate action including ban on power plants and construction activities would be imposed in the national capital.

vi. The enforcement of action plan will be under orders of Environment Pollution (Control and Prevention) Authority (EPCA). 

vii. A number of measures has ben listed for the prevention of pollution which includes: closing brick kilns, stone crushers, hot mix plants, intensifying public transport services besides increase in frequency of mechanised cleaning of road and sprinkling of water on roads to tackle problem of pollution.