Supreme Court Urges CAQM to Postpone School Sports Amid Hazardous Delhi-NCR Air Pollution
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The Supreme Court of India has urged the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to consider issuing directions to schools in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to postpone outdoor sports activities scheduled for November and December due to alarming air pollution levels. The bench, led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, acted on submissions by Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, the amicus curiae, who warned that allowing children to participate in outdoor sports during peak pollution amounts to "putting them in a gas chamber."
Highlighting the heightened vulnerability of children to air pollution’s adverse health impacts, the Court emphasized the urgency of shifting sports events to months with safer air quality. It noted that organizing strenuous outdoor activities during the pollution peak contradicts efforts to protect students’ health, risking long-term lung development issues, cognitive impairments, and cardiovascular strain. The Court also requested CAQM to issue appropriate directives to concerned states to reschedule sports competitions accordingly.
The Court observed that existing anti-pollution measures, including the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) initiated since 2015, need stronger enforcement and continual monitoring. It stressed the inadequacy of reactive steps limited to peak pollution phases and called for monthly hearings to review pollution control implementation. Additionally, the Court highlighted hardships faced by construction workers affected by pollution restrictions and asked the NCR states to address subsistence allowances for such workers.
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The Supreme Court’s directions come amid mounting public concern about Delhi-NCR’s persistent air quality crisis, which sees pollution levels plunge regularly into “very poor” or “severe” categories during winter months. The Court’s proactive intervention aims to balance the imperative of safeguarding children’s health with ensuring accountability and sustained pollution mitigation efforts in the affected region.
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