The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday criticised the governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for not taking measures to prevent pollution levels from rising in the region, PTI reported.
The Delhi-National Capital Region woke up to thick smog on Tuesday, as pollution rose to dangerous levels. A public health emergency was declared after the air quality dropped to the “severe” category.
A bench headed by the tribunal’s chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar, called it an “emergency situation” and asked the state governments why they were not prepared to tackle it. “The ambient air quality is so bad that children are not able to breath properly,” he said. “Why didn’t you not spray water using helicopters as per our direction?”
Justice Kumar asked the state governments to act on the tribunal’s instructions and update the court by Wednesday.
The tribunal also asked the Central Pollution Control Board to list the emergency directions it has issued to tackle the health hazard.
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