NGT Stresses on Need to Examine Psychological Impact of Delhi's Air Quality

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has said that there is a need to examine the psychological aspect of the dip in air quality in Delhi and has sought responses from various government authorities, including the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences' Director.

NGT Chairperson, Justice Prakash Shrivastava, said that the requirement for adequate measures to control air pollutants' adverse effects on various organs of the human body, particularly those affecting the brain and emotional and psychological aspects.

An NGT bench, consisting of Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, noted that the tribunal had previously taken up the issue of air pollution in Delhi based on a media report from October 20. However, it pointed out that the specific issue concerning the impact on various body parts, including the brain, needed to be examined separately.

The NGT also recognised the broader issue of different chemical and physical components causing air pollution and their adverse effects on various organs of the human body. It issued notices to several government authorities, including the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Central Pollution Control Board, the Indian Council of Medical Research, AIIMS, and the Delhi government's Health Department.

These authorities are required to file their responses before the NGT on or before the next hearing scheduled for December 11.