{"id":162167,"date":"2024-10-26T19:38:24","date_gmt":"2024-10-26T19:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/26\/after-a-few-years-respite-deadly-air-hangs-over-delhi-ncr-again-millions-will-be-at-risk-this-year\/"},"modified":"2024-10-26T19:38:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-26T19:38:24","slug":"after-a-few-years-respite-deadly-air-hangs-over-delhi-ncr-again-millions-will-be-at-risk-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/26\/after-a-few-years-respite-deadly-air-hangs-over-delhi-ncr-again-millions-will-be-at-risk-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"After a few years’ respite, deadly air hangs over Delhi-NCR again; millions will be at risk this year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Manoj Jajodia, who is just back from a business trip to northern Italy, says there is a little-known factor fuelling the rise of Indian businesspeople establishing overseas bases: clean air.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pollution in north Indian cities, especially in winter, is unbearable,\u201d says the 56-year-old managing director of Noida-based ONOMA group, a leading manufacturer of AC and refrigeration components. \u201cThe growing tendency of industrialists to spend more time abroad could eventually take a toll on our nation\u2019s economy and employment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Umar Jan Wani, a Srinagar-based distributor for companies like Hindustan Unilever<\/a> and Parle, is in Delhi for some meetings. \u201cFor someone from the Kashmir Valley, the pollution in Delhi this time of the year is frustrating,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Despite a marginal drop in the number of paddy stubble-burning incidents over the years \u2014 from 57,066 in Punjab and Haryana in 2019 to 38,966 in 2023 \u2014 highly polluted air again hangs over Delhi-NCR this year, affecting the health of millions in the region. Over 2,000 stubble-burning incidents have been recorded in the first three weeks of October, with numbers expected to surge in early November, a pattern seen in recent years as the season for sowing wheat approaches.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) predicted that Air Quality Index (AQI) will be \u201cvery poor\u201d in the coming days, with Delhi\u2019s AQI expected to hover between 300 and 400. AQI of 0-50 is considered good, and 51-100 satisfactory.<\/p>\n


In response to the worsening AQI, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region (CAQM) has activated strict pollution-control measures, including daily water sprinkling on select roads, uninterrupted power supply to curb the use of generators and higher parking fees to discourage private transport.<\/p>\n

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STAGNANT WIND
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While the large-scale burning of paddy stubble in Punjab and Haryana\u2014which farmers resort to for clearing their fields to sow wheat\u2014remains a major contributor to rising particulate matter (PM) and trace gases in the air, it\u2019s not the only culprit behind the worsening air quality in Delhi and its neighbouring areas. According to R Krishnan, director of Pune-based IITM, unfavourable meteorological conditions and stagnant winds also play a significant role, trapping pollutants in the air. IITM is under the administrative control of the Union ministry of earth sciences.\u201cThis time of the year, wind speeds slow down and surface temperatures cool, while a layer of warmer air sits above. This creates a conducive meteorological environment for pollutants to get trapped,\u201d he explains. He adds that at altitudes of 5 km, the tropical westerlies remain strong. \u201cThis means the effects of largescale stubble burning<\/a> (in Punjab and Haryana) can swiftly make their way to Delhi,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

According to a 2021 report, \u201cStubble-burning Activities in North-western India in 2021: Contribution to Air Pollution in Delhi\u201d, authored by scientists from IITM and four other institutions, stubble-burning accounted for 30-35% of Delhi\u2019s daily air pollution in October-November 2021. While there\u2019s no consensus among the scientists and agronomists consulted by ET on the exact extent of its contribution, none denies its significant role in aggravating Delhi\u2019s pollution.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarmers in Punjab are increasingly adopting straw-management machines introduced in recent years. Satellite data clearly shows a decline in fire incidents across the state,\u201d says Buta Singh Dhillon, an agronomist at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. He notes that the university has recommended the use of PAU Smart Seeder, a machine that sows wheat into paddy residues, rendering stubble burning unnecessary.<\/p>\n

Currently, a central government scheme subsidises the purchase of a range of crop-residue management machines, including Happy Seeder, Super Seeder, Smart Seeder, Mulcher and Paddy Straw Chopper, by farmers and cooperatives. However, the exact number of machines in operation remains unclear.<\/p>\n

Speaking at an international methanol seminar in Delhi earlier this month, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari pointed out that only onefifth of paddy stubble is being processed currently. \u201cWe can reduce the seasonal air pollution from stubble burning by using parali (stubble) as raw material for alternative fuels,\u201d he said. This process, referred to as ex-situ straw management in agricultural terms, involves deploying other machines such as balers and rakes to repurpose crop residue.<\/p>\n

Agricultural scientists are pushing back against the government\u2019s ex-situ straw management strategy, warning that removing straw from fields could lead to long-term loss of soil fertility. \u201cWe don\u2019t support any approach that involves removing straw, as it contains nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur. In-situ management (where the stubble is left in the field) is far better for maintaining soil health,\u201d says Baldev Singh Dhillon, an award-winning agricultural scientist and former vice-chancellor of PAU.<\/p>\n

He advocates a different path forward \u2014 one that promotes short-duration rice varieties such as PR 126 and PR 131, which require less water and give farmers more time to prepare fields for the next wheat crop. In Punjab, where wheat is cultivated in 3.5 million hectares and rice in 3.2 million hectares, farmers are pressed to clear fields for the second crop, making sustainable stubble management even more critical.<\/p>\n

Dhillon says no political party wants to alienate farmers or their unions, making strict action against stubble burning a rarity. He also underscores that rice cultivation will remain prevalent in the state, given its higher returns compared with wheat. However, a report from the Press Trust of India reveals that the Punjab Police lodged around 870 FIRs for stubble burning till October 21 this season, with fines amounting to Rs 10,55,000. This action could be due to the mounting pressure from the Supreme Court. Just last week, the apex court summoned the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana. It later said that stubble burning infringes upon the fundamental right to live in a pollution-free environment. The court has also reprimanded both state governments for allowing many offenders to evade accountability.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a flurry of accusations and counteraccusations has erupted between the Aam Aadmi Party, which governs Punjab and Delhi, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, in power in Haryana, with Congress leaders occasionally stepping into the debate.<\/p>\n

Politics aside, the grim reality of Delhi\u2019s pollution crisis is undeniable, with outpatient departments overwhelmed by patients suffering from respiratory issues, says Dr Naresh Trehan, CMD of Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon. \u201cI can tell just by looking at a patients\u2019 lungs whether they live in the city or the mountains,\u201d he says, noting that the lungs of Delhi-NCR residents often turn grey or black. He says the accumulation of particulate matter\u2014tiny particles suspended in the air\u2014in lungs reduces their capacity to absorb oxygen, leading to conditions like emphysema and asthma. \u201cToxic gases also pose a danger to brain tissues,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Dr Trehan\u2019s prescription? Children should play outdoors only after the sun has risen, as pollutants lift with warming air, and adults with lung conditions should keep windows shut until there is bright sunshine.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the haze from stubble burning clouds the horizon.
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Manoj Jajodia, who is just back from a business trip to northern Italy, says there is a little-known factor fuelling the rise of Indian businesspeople establishing overseas bases: clean air. \u201cThe pollution in north Indian cities, especially in winter, is unbearable,\u201d says the 56-year-old managing director of Noida-based ONOMA group, a leading manufacturer of AC […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.etimg.com\/photo\/msid-42031747\/et-logo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[602],"tags":[721,11100,50397,50398,50396,114640,126191,13103,18210,40509,6330,26284,1115,61908,568,111],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162167"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162167"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162169,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162167\/revisions\/162169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}