Bombay High Court criticizes Maharashtra government for attributing poor air quality to volcanic ashes

The Bombay High Court rebuked the Maharashtra government on Thursday for attributing Mumbai’s deteriorating air quality to volcanic ash from Ethiopia, rejecting the explanation and pointing out that pollution levels in the city had worsened well before the volcanic activity. The court was addressing a suo motu petition on Mumbai’s poor air quality. The state government’s counsel claimed that the recent pollution spike was due to Ethiopian volcanic ash. However, the bench dismissed the argument, stating, ‘Do not blame the volcanic ashes. The city’s air quality was poor long before the ashes erupted.’