The air quality in New Delhi, the country’s capital, has deteriorated again. With the arrival of winter, the capital’s climate has become “poisonous.” Due to incidents of stubble burning, the air quality has reached dangerous levels. According to data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the contribution of stubble burning to air pollution in Delhi had increased to 35.2% on November 1. Which was 27.6 percent the previous day, i.e. October 31, which is the highest level of this season. This alarming rise is due to large-scale stubble burning in major agricultural states including Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
We tell you that stubble burning is a common post-harvest practice, in which crop residues are set on fire to clear the fields for the next sowing. While this process may be convenient for farmers, it releases large amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere, including particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds. When these pollutants arrive with northwesterly winds, they greatly deteriorate the air quality in northern India and especially in Delhi.
Increase in AQI of Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Haryana
Incidents of stubble burning increase significantly after the Diwali festival, causing an alarming rise in air quality index (AQI) levels in several districts of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi NCR.
How much AQI is there in other cities including Delhi?
On November 2, Delhi’s AQI was recorded at 316, which is considered very dangerous; This amount of air pollution is extremely dangerous for people with weak immunity, as it can cause serious illness. Today, an AQI of 330 was recorded in Ghaziabad, adjacent to Delhi, while Ludhiana’s AQI was recorded of 339, which is very dangerous. AQI 368 was recorded in Amritsar, Punjab, this area is the most affected by stubble burning incidents. According to health experts, so much pollution in the air can cause respiratory diseases. While in Chandigarh, 277 AQIs were registered. Apart from this, in districts like Jind and Sriganganagar, AQIs of 337 and 333 respectively were recorded.
Revealed via satellite
Satellite remote sensing has revealed a significant increase in stubble burning incidents in five Indian states. On November 2, 2024, the satellite detected 861 such incidents, in which Punjab was at the forefront. 379 incidents of stubble burning were reported in Punjab. While there are 19 incidents of stubble burning in Haryana, 87 in Uttar Pradesh (UP), 80 in Rajasthan and 296 in Madhya Pradesh (MP).
How many cases of stubble burning in 5 states from September 15 to November 2?
A total of 9,376 incidents of crop residue burning were recorded in Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and MP from September 15 to November 2, 2024. In this, a maximum of 3,916 incidents were reported in Punjab. While 2,302 incidents were recorded in Madhya Pradesh, 1,272 in Uttar Pradesh, 1,036 in Rajasthan and 838 in Haryana, data indicates that this is a worrying situation, especially the rise in such incidents in Punjab. one. On November 1, 587 incidents of stubble burning were reported in Punjab. While on Diwali day i.e. October 31, 484 cases of stubble burning were reported. This makes it clear that large-scale measures will have to be taken to control it.
How many incidents of stubble burning occurred in MP in three days?
296 cases of stubble burning were reported in Madhya Pradesh on November 2, 226 on November 1 and 145 on October 31. In Punjab, the highest number of cases of crop residue burning are reported in important districts like Sangrur, Firozpur, Tarn Taran and Amritsar, while in Madhya Pradesh, important districts like Sheopur, Raisen and Hoshangabad.
