Bombay High Court Rejects Maharashtra Government’s Claim Linking Mumbai Pollution to Ethiopian Volcano Ash

The Bombay High Court has questioned the Maharashtra government’s explanation that volcanic ash drifting from Ethiopia caused Mumbai’s worsening air quality. The court was hearing a suo motu case on the city’s rising pollution levels.

Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A Ankhad pointed out that Mumbai’s visibility had already dropped several days before the Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted on November 23. When government lawyer Jyoti Chavan claimed that the ash cloud had contributed to the spike in AQI—crossing 300 in some areas—the bench immediately disagreed.

The Chief Justice noted, “That eruption happened only two days ago. Even before that, we couldn’t see beyond 500 metres,” dismissing the state’s argument.

The court observed that Mumbai’s AQI was around 200 when it first took up the matter but has now crossed 300 in many parts of the city. Senior advocate Darius Khambata, assisting the court, called for urgent action, while senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, representing NGO Vanshakti, demanded immediate steps to curb pollution.

The bench asked all sides to suggest practical and impactful solutions, also mentioning that Delhi’s experience with pollution-control measures could offer lessons for Mumbai.

The court instructed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to take “concrete and immediate steps” to tackle pollution. Although BMC counsel Milind Sathe said some measures had begun, the judges said the results were not visible.

The case will be heard again on Friday as the court continues to review Mumbai’s pollution-control efforts.