Page 6 - Stubble Burning

Punjab records over 100 farm fires; Haryana's air quality 'moderate'

Punjab on Saturday reported 104 farm fires, taking the total number of stubble-burning incidents to 23,730 while air quality indices in Haryana and the border state were in 'satisfactory' and 'moderate' categories. The fresh figure of farm fires in Punjab was much lower than what the state was witnessing a few days ago. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in Delhi in October and November. Only six cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab on Friday as rains lashed many parts of the state. Out of 105 stubble-burning incidents reported on Saturday, crop residue burning was seen in only 10 districts in Punjab. Sangrur district topped with 43 cases, followed by 22 in Mansa, 13 in Fazilka, eight in Fatehgarh Sahib, four each in Ludhiana and Muktsar, three each in Malerkotla, Patiala and Bathinda and one in Ferozepur, according to Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data. On the same

Watch | How stubble burning can be made history

Every winter, Delhi and its neighbouring regions suffer from severe air pollution, which typically starts worsening as farmers in the area start burning crop stubble. But there are ways to fix this pr

'God may have heard prayers, no thanks to govt': SC on Delhi air pollution

The Supreme Court asked the government why speed on curbing air pollution comes only after the court intervenes every year

Delhi pollution: Farm fires in Punjab, other states have to be stopped - SC

The Supreme Court on Friday said that crop residue burning in Punjab and some other states adjacent to Delhi have to be stopped and solution has to found to reduce the pollution level in the national capital region (NCR). While hearing a matter relating to the debilitating air pollution in the Delhi-NCR, a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed there were several reports and committees on the pollution issue, but nothing was happening at the ground level. The bench, also comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, said the apex court wanted to see the results. The Supreme Court was informed that every endeavour was being made to bring farm fires under control. The top court is seized of a plea filed in 1985 by environmentalist M C Mehta on air pollution and the issue of crop residue burning had arisen during the hearing of the matter.

Punjab's Bathinda grapples with 'very poor' AQI due to stubble burning

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) for Bathinda on November 9 was 372, which is very poor.

India's choking Diwali smoke billows from a failed stubble burning policy

The main focus of efforts to end the stubble-burning in recent years has been mechanization

Govt to send flying squads to monitor farm fires in Haryana, Punjab: Report

The Centre will dispatch flying squads to Punjab and Haryana to monitor stubble burning incidents and submit daily reports, government sources said on Thursday. This decision was made at a meeting chaired by the cabinet secretary on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by chief secretaries and other senior officials from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi, as well as the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) and secretaries from the ministries of environment, agriculture, housing and urban affairs, and power. During the meeting, the Cabinet Secretary directed the Punjab administration to take effective actions to prevent further stubble burning in the remaining days of this harvest season, the sources said. District magistrates, senior superintendents of police, and station house officers have been instructed to ensure there is no further stubble burning. The CAQM has been tasked with deploying flying squads to Punjab and Haryana and submitting daily reports

Punjab farm fires drop to 639 after crackdown against stubble burning

Punjab Thursday saw a sharp drop in the number of stubble burning incidents as it recorded 639 farm fires while police and civil administration launched a crackdown against erring farmers to prevent crop residue burning. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had issued directions to ensure stopping of crop residue burning "forthwith", amid a spike in pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. The SC bench had also made the local station house officer (SHO) concerned, under the overall supervision of the chief secretary, responsible for stopping crop residue burning. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November. Punjab Thursday reported 639 stubble burning incidents. The state had seen the number of farm fires 3,230, 2,060, 1,515 and 2,003 on November 5, 6, 7 and 8 respectively. Following the SC directions, the Punjab Police chief on Wednesday had asked police officers to wor

Haryana cabinet unveils policy to remove crop residue, curb stubble burning

This commitment is reflected in the recent notification issued on October 30, 2023, introducing the "Haryana Ex-situ Management of Paddy Straw 2023" scheme

Polluted air unrestricted by borders: Haryana CM amid political blame game

Polluted air is not restricted by borders, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday and claimed that people in his state as well as in Delhi were suffering with Punjab reporting several cases of crop-residue burning. He, however, stressed there should not be politics over the issue and that it is the collective responsibility of everyone to keep the environment clean. The air quality in Delhi and its adjoining areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) worsened on Wednesday morning, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounting for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital. "There should be no politics. Unfortunately, a few people are doing politics over it, but they are not getting any benefit...," the chief minister said when asked by reporters in Pinjore on a Supreme Court bench on Tuesday taking a stern view of states trying to shift the blame on one another, and observing there cannot be a "political battle"

Delhi air quality 'severe', farm fires account for one-third pollution

Air quality in Delhi and its suburbs dropped to the severe category again on Wednesday morning, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounting for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 421, worsening from 395 at 4 pm on Tuesday. Despite a marginal dip, the concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times in the capital. It was 30 to 40 times the healthy limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Several cities across the Indo-Gangetic plains reported hazardous air quality. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (382), Gurugram (370), Noida (348), Greater Noida (474), and Faridabad (396) also reported hazardous air quality. According to data from the Decision Support System,

Delhi's air quality 'severe' with AQI in most parts of city above 400

Delhi air pollution today: The odd-even rule for vehicles is set to kick in from November 13, the Supreme Court on Tuesday, however, called the move 'all optics'

SC heat on states over crop residue burning, questions efficacy of odd-even

The court told the Delhi government to report to the court on the restrictions imposed based on colour-coded stickers

LIVE: Shah escapes narrowly as his vehicle touches power cable in Rajasthan

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'Don't know how, but it must stop': SC pulls up Punjab over stubble burning

The Supreme Court directed Rajasthan and other states to follow its earlier order on the issue relating to firecrackers during the festive season

Delhi-NCR's air quality 'severe': Schools closed, WFH ordered, traffic curbed

Pollution levels in Delhi-NCR on Monday morning were recorded around seven to eight times above the government-prescribed safe limit, as a toxic haze persisted over the region >

At 3,230, Punjab records max farm fires in a day; AQ 'severe' in Haryana

Punjab on Sunday reported 3,230 farm fires, the highest in a day so far this season, while the air quality in large parts of Haryana was recorded in 'very poor' and 'severe' categories. With the 3,230 fresh farm fires, the total number of stubble burning incidents in Punjab so far this season stands at 17,403, according to Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data. Farm fires reported in November constitute 56 per cent of the total stubble burning incidents this season, the data showed. However, the number of stubble burning incidents registered from September 15 to November 5 this year is 41 per cent less than 29,400 recorded during the corresponding period last year. Punjab reported 28,792 farm fires during the same period in 2021. Out of the 3,230 stubble burning incidents reported on Sunday, Sangrur reported the maximum at 551. This was followed by 299 in Ferozepur, 293 in Mansa, 247 in Bathinda, 189 in Barnala, 179 in Moga, 177 in Tarn Taran and 169 in Patiala. The state recorded 5,

Stubble burning in Haryana causes spike in Delhi's air pollution: Gopal Rai

The minister said that as per the Centre's data, cases of stubble burning in Punjab have been reduced

Nearly 560 cases of stubble burning reported in Ludhiana so far this year

The Chief Agriculture Officer further said that on November 3 last year, 119 cases of stubble burning were reported, which has been reduced to 59 cases this year

Haryana minister slams Punjab govt over stubble burning; AAP hits back

Haryana Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Dalal on Saturday slammed the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab over the stubble-burning incidents in the state, prompting a sharp reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party. In his post on X, Dalal shared statistics of farm fires in Punjab and Haryana over the last three days. "We have demanded water from (Arvind) Kejriwal ji and Bhagwant Mann ji, not smoke of paddy stubble, Dalal wrote in Hindi. According to the data shared by the Haryana agriculture and farmers' welfare minister, Punjab witnessed 1,921, 1,668 and 1,551 farm fire incidents on November 1, 2 and 3 while stubble burning incidents in Haryana were 99, 48 and 28 on the three days. Reacting to Dalal's statement, the AAP accused him of "spreading lies". "Twenty out of the 52 most polluted districts in the country are in Haryana and even then the Khattar government is playing politics and blaming Punjab," Punjab AAP unit spokesperson Neel Garg said. The Mann government in Punjab provided