The red coloured dots on the satellite map by the NASA has set alarm bells ringing in the national Capital; and with the Delhi Government sharing the image that explicitly portrays the stubble burning in northern India, it is implicit that the contingency plan — Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — enforced to combat pollution will be no avail if “stubble” burning in neighbouring States continues unabated.
With this, Delhi stares at an yet another winter laden with pollutants in its air and all prevailing smog ready to diminish visibility on roads causing fatal accidents. The stubble burning in neighbouring States of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar-Pradesh is the major cause of smog that engulfs Delhi year after year in winter.
The Haryana Government has tightened its noose on the farmers who burn the stubble after National Green Tribunal (NGT) pulled it, however the Government failed to present a viable alternative hence many farmers are still burning the biomass. The “in-situ” management of the stubble has not cut much ice with the farmers who still prefer to burn it.
Delhi’s Minister of Environment and Forest Imran Hussain called for an immediate stop on the burning of crop residues on farm lands.
“It is high time that the crop residue burning in fields was immediately halted, failing which a serious health hazard awaits entire northern India,” said Hussain.
“It is beyond any reasonable understanding as to why this menace is being ignored despite a well-known fact that the consequences will be disastrous in coming days,” he said.
The Delhi Government is upset with the Governments of neighbouring States over the issue of stubble burning.
The fall in the overall air quality of national Capital has touched “very poor” category for the first time in the season as several pockets standing on the fringe of “severe level” indicate towards the worsening future. According to a data provided by System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 309, a very poor level.
Concentration of both Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10 in the air showed an increasing trend in the last couple of days, which is a cause of concern for the Delhi Government.