'Every child in Delhi has breathing problem': HC asks govt to go green after AQI level shoots up

The court has directed the principal secretary of the forest department to expedite the process of filling up the vacancies. "It is your responsibility to ensure that the AQI comes down," the court said.

New Delhi:The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the forest department to take urgent measures to ensure bringing down the high pollution level in the national capital which recorded the highest AQI leveland became the most polluted city.

The court observed that the forest department must prioratise measures so that the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi is improved. Justice Jasmeet Singh, while addressing matters related to setting up alternative forests in Delhi and filling up vacancies within the department, said that children are suffering from asthma due to breathing polluted air.

The court expressed concern that encroachment was taking place right under the nose of government officials in an area considered to be the lungs of the national capital. Every child is having a problem in breathing, it said.

The court has directed the principal secretary of the forest department to expedite the process of filling up the vacancies. "It is your responsibility to ensure that the AQI comes down. Each child is having trouble breathing," the court said.

The court emphasized that the people of Delhi have a fundamental right to clean air to breathe and greenery plays an important role in achieving the green goal. Many areas of the city like Nehru Nagar (402), Sonia Vihar (412), Rohini (403), Wazirpur (422), Bawana (403), Mundka (407), Anand Vihar (422), and New Moti Bagh (435) registered decline in air quality.

On Thursday, Delhi was featured as the most polluted city in the world with AQI level of more than 400 in a real-time list of the world's most polluted cities compiled by Swiss group IQAir. New Delhi's AQI was 472 while Lahore's AQI was 267. Mumbai and Kolkata are also included in the list of the 15 most polluted cities in the world.

Deteriorating air quality has raised concerns amid the ongoing Cricket World Cup as fans attend matches in various Indian cities. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently banned fireworks during the remaining matches of the tournament as a measure to tackle pollution. Players too have expressed their concern about polluted air.