Page 9 - Stubble Burning

Farmers burning stubble 'under compulsion', states can't blame them: NHRC

The commission recently heard the responses of the Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh in connection with its suo motu cognizance of unabated air pollution in Delhi- NCR

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2,467 stubble burning incidents in Punjab in a day, tally rises to 43,144

Punjab saw 2,467 stubble burning incidents on Saturday with Bathinda registering the maximum 358 farm fires. With these, the cumulative farm fire cases between September 15 and November 12 jumped to 43,144, according to the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data. This is 27 per cent less compared to 58,976 crop residue burning incidents reported in the corresponding period of last year, according to data. The state had reported 71,091 such incidents during the same period in 2020, it stated. Of the total 2,467 stubble burning incidents on Saturday, Bathinda topped the list with 358 farm fires, followed by 336 in Moga, 256 in Muktsar, 242 in Fazilka, 231 in Mansa, 200 in Faridkot, 186 in Ferozepur and 174 in Barnala, according to data. The state had seen 1,758 and 3,403 active fire incidents on November 12 in 2020 and 2021 respectively, the data stated. The farmers continued to set crop residue on fire in order to clear fields for sowing the wheat crop. The wheat, if sow

Delhi-NCR pollution: Slight improvement in air quality due to strong winds

Air pollution in Delhi ameliorated marginally on the back of strong winds on Saturday but farm fires raging in Punjab prevented a significant improvement in the air quality. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 303 on Saturday, improving from 346 on Friday. It was 295 on Thursday. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". Officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said winds gusting up to 18-20 kmph barrelled through the city during the day, improving air quality and visibility levels. The Centre's air quality panel had on Friday said curbs under stage 3 (severe) of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue in Delhi-NCR as the air pollution in the region is showing an upward trend. All construction and demolition work, except for essential projects, is banned in Delhi-NCR under the third stage of the GRAP. Brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers are also not allowed to ...

Delhi-NCR pollution: Farm fires due to failure of 4 state govts, says NHRC

After hearing the responses of the chief secretaries of Delhi and three neighbouring states on the pollution issue, the NHRC on Saturday said farmers are burning stubble "under compulsion" and it is due to the "failure" of the four state governments that stubble burning is happening. Alarmed over the rise in pollution in Delhi-NCR, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had recently asked the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to appear before it on November 10 to discuss the matter. The Commission, after considering the responses of the states concerned and the government of Delhi, and the deliberations thereon, is of the opinion that the "farmers are burning stubble under compulsion," the NHRC said in a statement on Saturday. "The state governments have to provide harvest machines to get rid of those stubble, but they have failed to provide an adequate number of requisite machines and other measures; as a result, farmers are forced to burn the ...

Delhi-NCR air quality deteriorating, GRAP stage III curbs to continue: CAQM

The Centre's air quality panel on Friday said curbs under stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue in Delhi-NCR as the air pollution in the region is showing an upward trend. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index stood at 346 at 4 pm on Friday, deteriorating from 295 on Thursday. "The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been showing an increasing trend for the last two days in Delhi-NCR. Wind conditions have not been very favourable and accordingly dispersion of air pollutants has not been very effective," the CAQM said in a statement. Considering the need to continue with the steps to prevent deterioration of air quality, the sub-committee on Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has decided that the "ongoing action implemented under Stage III of GRAP shall continue and it should not be withdrawn at this stage". All construction and demolition work, except for essential projects, is banned in Delhi-NCR under the third stage of the GRAP. Brick kilns, hot mix plants

NHRC seeks report from Punjab on stubble burning amid severe air pollution

The commission said that incidents of stubble burning should be strictly curtailed. It said that if the situation was not improved, a heavy penalty would be imposed on Punjab

Air pollution behind additional 1.5 mn premature deaths annually: Study

Fine pollution particles (PM2.5) may be responsible for 1.5 million additional premature deaths around the globe each year, according to a study which found that low levels of air pollution are dangerous than previously thought. The World Health Organization's most recent estimates are that over 4.2 million people die prematurely each year due to long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution referred to as PM2.5. The latest study, published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that the annual global death toll from outdoor PM2.5 may be significantly higher than previously thought. That is because the researchers found that mortality risk was increased even at very low levels of outdoor PM2.5, which had not previously been recognised as being potentially deadly. These microscopic toxins cause a range of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancers. "We found that outdoor PM2.5 may be responsible for as many as 1.5 million additional deaths around the glob

SC refuses to accord urgent hearing on PIL on Delhi air pollution

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accord urgent hearing to a PIL seeking fresh guidelines on stubble burning to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, saying some issues are not "judicially amenable" and stressing the need for "genuine solutions". A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices Hima Kohli and J B Pardiwala asked lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha, who filed the PIL, whether banning stubble burning alone would help in curbing air pollution. So what is your solution to Delhi pollution, the CJI asked Jha. On being told that stubble burning is causing the pollution, the bench said, So we ban it? Will that stop? Do we enforce it against every farmer? Let us think of some genuine solutions. There are things, (where) courts can do something and there are something where courts cannot do. We are to look at the judicial aspects. "Some matters, courts can look into and some it cannot. Since they are not judicially amenable... We have heard you and it would not be tak

Delhi's air quality improves on back of winds, rains in Rajasthan, Haryana

Air pollution in Delhi ameliorated from "very poor" to the "poor" category on Wednesday owing to favourable wind speed at night, sporadic rains in adjoining states and a considerable drop in emissions from stubble burning. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 260, dropping from 372 on Tuesday. It was 354 on Monday, 339 on Sunday and 381 on Saturday. This is the lowest AQI since October 20 when it was 232. For November, it was the best AQI since November 29, 2020, when it was 231, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe. The improvement in air quality was evident from better visibility levels with 1,400 metres at the Palam airport and 1,500 at the Safdarjung airport in the morning. A smoky haze had lowered the visibility levels to 800 metres at these places on Tuesday. A Met official said southeasterly winds gusting up to 30 kmph barrelled through parts on Tuesday night. It

Stubble burning incidents in Punjab cross 30,000-mark, shows data

Farm fire incidents crossed the 30,000 mark in Punjab with the state witnessing 2,487 stubble-burning cases on Monday. With fresh crop residue burning incidents, the cumulative farm fire cases from September 15 to November 7, rose to 32,486, according to the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data. The state reported 57,696 and 37,933 farm fires during the same period in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Out of a total of 2,487 farm fire incidents on Monday, Ferozepur witnessed 353 crop residue burning incidentsthe highest in the state, followed by 268 in Moga, 257 in Muktsar, 256 in Batala, 218 in Faridkot, 202 in Barnala, 180 in Sangrur, 177 in Fazilka and 165 in Mansa, according to the data. Punjab had seen 4,716 and 5,199 active fire incidents on November 7 in 2020 and 2021, respectively, as per the data. Currently, the districts in the Malwa region are reporting a rising number of stubble-burning incidents. Due to stubble burning, many places in Haryana on Monday evening

Rajasthan, Punjab not doing enough to check stubble burning: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said incidents of stubble burning have risen by 160 per cent in Rajasthan and 20 per cent in Punjab from October 2021 to October this year. Farm fires in Punjab rose from 13,269 in October 2021 to 16,004 in October 2022, while their number rose from 124 to 318 in Rajasthan during this period, Singh said. This, he said, implies that the governments in the two states are not doing enough to check stubble burning and are, on the contrary, increasingly contributing to the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR. On the other hand, states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have recorded progressive decline in the incidents of stubble burning, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences said. Farm fires in Uttar Pradesh declined from 1,060 in October 2021 to 768 in October this year, while for Haryana, the number dipped from 2,914 to 1,995 during this period, Singh said. "Such inferences indicate that either the governments in Rajastha

Severe policy lapse

Pollution control needs a holistic approach

Farmers lukewarm to bio-decomposers as stubble burning incidents rise

Industry players and farmers said there were other reasons for the slower-than-targeted adoption

12 Punjab, Haryana districts see over 84% reduction in stubble burning

Twelve districts of Punjab and Haryana, covering three lakh acres of farmland of 50,000 farmers in 300 villages, has resulted in over 84 per cent reduction in stubble burning

Paddy stubble burning events in Punjab rise 16 pc to 2,817 on Nov 5: ICAR

The number of paddy stubble burning incidents rose 16 per cent to 2,817 in Punjab on November 5 over the previous day even as the Centre has been appealing to farmers to use Pusa bio-decomposer and other machines for crop residue management. As per the data maintained by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), about 319 stubble burning events were reported in Madhya Pradesh, 91 in Rajasthan, 90 in Haryana, 24 in Uttar Pradesh and nil in Delhi on November 5. Between September 15 and November 5 this year, a total of 29,400 stubble burning events were detected in Punjab alone, followed by 2,530 events in Haryana, 2,246 in Madhya Pradesh, 927 in Uttar Pradesh, 587 in Rajasthan and 9 in Delhi. Stubble burning in neighbouring states, which has been an old menace during the paddy harvesting season, remains a significant contributor to air pollution, especially across northern India, including the national capital. Last week, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had appeal

UP govt mulling stringent legal action as stubble burning cases spike

With measures like seizing unauthorised farm equipment to imposing fines failing to check incidents of stubble burning, the Uttar Pradesh government is mulling over taking stringent legal penal actions, including lodging FIRs against the offenders. Though awareness campaigns regarding those highlighting the harms of stubble burning were held, they did not show better results. According to the data of Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), which is also used by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), close to 800 different fire farm incidents were reported in the last fortnight from 18 districts. These comprise Aligarh, Barabanki, Fatehpur, Kanpur Nagar, Mathura, Hardoi, Sambhal, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Meerut, Saharanpur, Rampur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Bulandshahr, Shamli and Bareilly districts. While the government is urging farmers to adopt alternative means to dispose of

4 out of every 5 Delhi-NCR families face pollution-related ailments: Survey

Four out of every five families in Delhi-NCR have claimed to have experienced pollution-related ailments in the last few weeks, according to a survey. Meanwhile, 18 per cent of the total 19,000 people surveyed by LocalCircles have already visited a doctor. The survey also found that 80 per cent of the surveyed families have at least one member who is experiencing some kind of respiratory problem due to air pollution. The responses were sought from the residents of Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad with 63 per cent of respondents being male. "Four in five Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) families surveyed have someone experiencing pollution-related ailments: 18 per cent have already visited a doctor or a hospital," the survey mentioned. Answering the question on the nature of the ailment, 80 per cent families said their members are "facing multiple issues due to the pollution", while 7 per cent denied having any issue at all due to the pollution. Meanwhile, 13 per

Violation of ban on plying of vehicles to attract penalty of Rs 20,000

Violation of the Delhi government's ban on plying of certain vehicles owing to the rise in pollution will attract a penalty of Rs 20,000, a senior official said Friday. Delhi's air quality remained "severe" for a second day on the trot, with stubble burning accounting for 30 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in the capital, according to the Central Pollution Control Board and SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Ministry of Earth and Sciences. Delhi government has decided to implement the anti-pollution curbs recommended by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), including a ban on non-BS VI diesel-run light motor vehicles. Also, any diesel truck would not be allowed entry into Delhi except for those carrying essential commodities or providing essential services. However, all CNG and electric trucks would be allowed to enter Delhi, according to an order by the Transport Department. Diesel-operated medium and heavy goods vehicles registered in Delhi will not be allowed to

Take steps to bring down stubble burning incidents: CAQM to Punjab govt

The Centre's air quality panel on Friday directed deputy commissioners of all districts in Punjab, barring Pathankot, to take measures to "drastically" bring down the number of farm fires in the agrarian state. A thick layer of smog has enveloped Delhi-NCR for the last two days, primarily due to unfavourable meteorological conditions trapping pollutants and raging farm fires in Punjab. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) reviewed the implementation of measures to restrict the farm fire count in Punjab at a meeting with its chief secretary and deputy commissioners of 22 districts, barring Pathankot (no farm fire incidents were reported there). A statement said the primary focus of the review meeting was to reiterate the need to intensify action to check the sudden spike in the number of stubble burning cases seen in the last few days. "The chief secretary and deputy commissioners were reminded of their earlier commitments of drastically bringing down the farm fire count