NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has issued notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC), director of Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region and others following a shocking study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which reveals that thermal power plants in the National Capital Region (NCR) contribute a staggering 16 times more air pollution than the much-discussed issue of stubble burning and vehicles.
A bench comprising Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Judicial Member Arun Kumar, and Expert Member A. Senthil Vel has directed the respondents, including the Central Pollution Control Board and the pollution boards of states Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, to respond via affidavits by March 12, 2025, a week before the next hearing scheduled for March 19.
The CREA study estimates that thermal power plants in the NCR release 281 kilotons of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) annually, dwarfing the 17.8 kilotons emitted by stubble burning, despite the latter involving 8.9 million tons of crop residue.
Adding to the crisis, Delhi’s weather exacerbates pollution levels. The CREA report states, “Calm winds and plummeting temperatures trap dust, smoke, and pollutants, creating ‘cold air traps’ that prevent their dispersal. This phenomenon intensifies the already hazardous air quality.”
In its order, the NGT bench observed that the issue indicates possible violations of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
The tribunal’s intervention comes as pollution levels in Delhi and neighboring regions continue to peak, raising alarms over public health risks.