Min Rai slams stubble burning data discrepancy in pollution meet
In an emergency meeting on air pollution in Delhi on Tuesday, the city Government suggested a weekend-lockdown and work from home (WFH) for a week.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai said a ban on construction and industrial activities was also recommended in the meeting with the Centre for Air Quality Management (CAQM), in which representatives of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (UP) Governments participated.
“The other States have also put forth their views and we are waiting for an official notification from the commission,” Rai said.
With SAFAR, marking that the contribution of farm fires in PM 2.5 fluctuated between four to 48 per cent in November, Rai urged the Centre to clear its stand on pollution from stubble burning, during the meeting.
“The Centre’s submission of two contrasting facts in the court has created chaos. It is shocking that the Centre has said that the contribution of stubble in pollution is four per cent on one page and 35 to 40 per cent on another page in the same document,” he said.
“I looked into this and found that SAFAR, a Central Government organisation, was responsible for publishing the data and estimates from November 4-14. Diwali was on November 4th and SAFAR’s assessment says that on November 4, the contribution of stubble burning was 25 per cent. It was 36 per cent on November 5; 41 per cent on November 6; 48 per cent on November 7; 30 per cent on November 8; 27 per cent on November 9 and 10; 26 per cent on November 11; 35 per cent on November 12 and 31 per cent on November 13 and 14. If we were to consider the average of the data from November 4 to November 14, it is around 31 per cent. This data is also from the Central Government, and the data which has been handed over inside the court is also from the Central Government,” Rai said.