The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the governments of Punjab and Haryana to file status reports on the measures they have taken to curb stubble burning, which continues to contribute to the worsening air pollution in Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region, Live Law reported.

A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran passed the order after it was told that Delhi’s air quality had deteriorated to “severe” levels, leading to the implementation of Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, Bar and Bench reported.

GRAP is a set of incremental anti-pollution measures that are triggered to prevent further worsening of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region.

“Let the Punjab and Haryana governments respond on steps taken to control stubble burning,” said the bench, listing the matter for further hearing on Monday.

Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, which is often ranked the world’s most polluted capital.

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, along with the lighting of firecrackers, vehicular pollution, falling temperatures, decreased wind speeds and emissions from industries and coal-fired plants contribute to the problem.

The air quality in the national capital has been in the “poor” or worse categories since mid-October.

On Wednesday morning, Delhi’s Air Quality Index was recorded at 414 in the “severe” category, according to the data from the Central Pollution Control Board.

On Tuesday, it had reached 423.

An index value between 0 and 50 indicates “good” air quality, between 51 and 100 indicates “satisfactory” air quality and between 101 and 200 indicates “moderate” air quality. As the index value increases further, air quality deteriorates. A value of 201 and 300 means “poor” air quality, while between 301 and 400 indicates “very poor” air.

Between 401 and 450 indicates “severe” air pollution, while anything above the 450 threshold is termed “severe plus”.

An air quality index in the “severe” category signifies hazardous pollution levels that can pose serious risks even to healthy individuals.

After the pollution levels turned “severe” on Tuesday, Stage 3 restrictions under the GRAP were imposed.

Restrictions under Stage 3 entail a ban on non-essential construction work and the closure of stone crushers and mining activities, in addition to the measures already imposed under Stage 1 and Stage 2.

They also include the shifting of primary school up to Class 5 to hybrid mode. Parents and students have the option to choose between offline and online classes wherever available.

Additionally, the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars is restricted in Delhi and the NCR. BS norms, or Bharat Stage Emission Standards, are regulations set by the Indian government to control air pollutants from motor vehicles.

Also read: Delhi’s failure to act against the biggest source of its air pollution – vehicles

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