Stubble Burning Air Pollution

Stubble burning incidents in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced this year due to government support for farm machinery and other measures, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Monday. The government has provided farmers with relevant equipment and necessary interventions to tackle the problem, Chaturvedi told reporters on the sidelines of an event. "Certainly...because of the policy of providing machineries and in-situ and ex-situ measures, the incidents of stubble burning in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced," he said. There have hardly been incidents of stubble burning in the last ten days, he said. Stubble burning by farmers in northern India after harvesting has been a major contributor to severe air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas during winter months. When asked about other pollution sources, Chaturvedi said other ministries were better placed to comment. "If there are other reasons (for pollution), other ministries are best to say," he

Stubble burning incidents in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced this year due to government support for farm machinery and other measures, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Monday. The government has provided farmers with relevant equipment and necessary interventions to tackle the problem, Chaturvedi told reporters on the sidelines of an event. "Certainly...because of the policy of providing machineries and in-situ and ex-situ measures, the incidents of stubble burning in Delhi, NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced," he said. There have hardly been incidents of stubble burning in the last ten days, he said. Stubble burning by farmers in northern India after harvesting has been a major contributor to severe air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas during winter months. When asked about other pollution sources, Chaturvedi said other ministries were better placed to comment. "If there are other reasons (for pollution), other ministries are best to say," he

The control room, utilising satellite data, will detect stubble burning incidents and immediately inform the Sub-Divisional Magistrate official of the area where the stubble burning is detected

The Supreme Court noted that while stricter measures may be necessary to deter violations, the focus need not be on mass prosecutions but on sending a signal to protect air quality

CJI says jailing violators could deter stubble burning, a key cause of winter smog

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Delhi's annual PM2.5 levels rose in 2024 for the second consecutive year, despite a 37 per cent drop in stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and the national capital, according to a new report. The report by think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said Delhi's annual PM2.5 concentration increased to 104.7 microgrammes per cubic metre in 2024 -- a 3.4 per cent rise from the 2023 levels. This is also more than twice the national ambient air quality standard of 40 microgrammes per cubic metre. While the 2024 average is still 9.6 per cent lower than the 2018 peak of 115.8 microgrammes per cubic metre, it is 3 per cent higher than the three-year average of 2021-2023, indicating a gradual reversal of earlier gains made between 2018 and 2022, it said. The report highlighted that the total annual fire counts (on account of stubble burning) dropped by 37.5 per cent in 2024 in Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana. Punjab recorded a 75 per cent decline, and Haryana, a 37 per cent ...

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasised the need for a systemic solution to stubble burning, stating that our negligence endangers people's lives. Addressing the National Energy Conservation Day function, Dhankhar said the national capital suffers every year due to hazardous environmental conditions arising out of stubble burning. Society needs to embrace innovation and seek a systemic solution rather than leaving it to individuals, he added. "The system must come of age...Just imagine our lack of attention. Our negligence is putting us in jeopardy in several ways. One is our health. Second, loss of hours of work. Third, disruption of normal life. And fourth, we need to take care of our children. "You can't go to school on this day because pollution is very high, and therefore, everyone must converge to contribute," Dhankhar stated. He also called for finding a systemic solution to stubble burning, saying it should not be left to individuals. "Climate change, the crisis...The

: The National Green Tribunal has been informed through a report that Punjab's stubble burning incidents have decreased by 70 per cent. The NGT previously sought regular reports from the authorities in the state on the issue of air pollution caused in the NCR owing to stubble burning. A report dated November 26 was filed by the director of agriculture and farmers' welfare department, saying "As a result of the efforts made by the state of Punjab, the number of paddy stubble burning incidents reduced from 36,551 on November 25, 2023, to 10,479 on November 25, 2024 -- a decrease of 70 per cent." The report stated about 19.52 million tonne of paddy straw was expected to be managed in the year through various means, including in-situ (managing paddy straw on the field) and ex-situ (transporting the straw for various uses) methods and using the residue for animal fodder. "In ex-situ management, primarily balers are used for collection of straw before transportation for industrial and ot

The Madhya Pradesh High Court Bar Association has decided that none of its member lawyers will fight the cases of farmers related to stubble burning citing environmental reasons. An official of the association said stubble burning not only creates pollution, but also causes the deaths of living organisms. President of the association advocate D K Jain said that in its executive committee meeting, discussion was held and concerns were expressed about the dangers posed to public life due to incidents of stubble burning across the country. People are suffering from many diseases due to stubble burning. At present, the practice of burning stubble is increasing in the country, he said. Jain said that in the interest of the country, supporting the ban on stubble burning, it has been decided that the advocates associated with the association will not appear for the accused farmers in the stubble burning cases. According to news reports, Madhya Pradesh ranks first in the country in ...

Despite reports of declining farm fires in Punjab, many now occur later in the day, possibly evading satellite detection

A research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reveals that thermal power plants in the national capital region release 16 times more air pollutants than stubble burning

Farm fire cases reached the 8,000 mark in Punjab this season with the state reporting 136 such incidents on Saturday, data showed. Sangrur district reported 50 stubble-burning incidents during the day, the highest maximum in the state, followed by 30 in Ferozepur, 17 in Barnala and 12 in Patiala, according to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. On the same day in 2022 and 2023, the state saw 1,358 and 1,271 active farm fire events respectively. From September 15 to November 16, Punjab has seen a total of 8,000 stubble-burning incidents, registering around 75 per cent dip in crop residue burning in comparison to such cases in the corresponding period last year. Punjab had seen a total of 46,822 and 31,932 farm fires during the same period in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The state has seen an addition of around 4,000 farm fire incidents since November 3 this season. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana after harvesting of the paddy crop in October and November is often blamed for th

Punjab farmers have found a way to outwit Nasa satellite surveillance in the ongoing stubble-burning crisis by strategically timing their fires

Despite alarming pollution levels, city officials have not yet activated Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes the closure of primary schools

The notice sought an explanation from the officials as to why stubble-burning cases were on the rise and why the CAQM's orders to reduce air pollution had not been adhered to

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The stricter penalties come in the wake of sharp criticism from the Supreme Court, which had previously termed the earlier penalties 'toothless'

Punjab recorded 379 farm fires on Saturday, with Sangrur district witnessing the highest number of 66 such incidents, taking the total case count in the state past 3,900. The state registered the current season's biggest spike in farm fires on Friday with 587 cases. Sangrur had reported the highest number of 79 cases. From September 15 to November 2, the state has seen 3,916 farm-fire cases, according to data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. Ferozepur district reported 50 farm fires on Saturday, Tarn Taran 42, Amritsar 27, Bathinda 28, Moga 26, Patiala 21 and Kapurthala and Ludhiana 15 each. The districts with farm-fire cases in single digits included Fazilka (one), Rupnagar (two), Hoshiarpur (two), Faridkot (six), Jalandhar (eight), Malerkotla (five), Barnala (six) and SBS Nagar (three). Punjab reported 484 farm fires on Thursday, with Sangrur recording the highest number of 89 cases. There has been a steep jump in the number of farm fires over the last few days. The stat