Whilst air high quality hit the ‘extreme’ mark within the Delhi-NCR area, sources within the Setting Ministry mentioned paddy residue burning in Punjab noticed 33.5% rise in final one month in comparison with the identical interval final yr.
As per the Commonplace ISRO Protocol, for the interval between September 15 and October 28, a complete of 10,214 crop residue burning situations have been reported in Punjab, in comparison with 7,648 for a similar interval final yr. Of the ten,214 stubble burning instances thus far, 7,100, or 69% of the entire, have been reported previously week alone.
The Fee for Air High quality Administration (CAQM) held an emergency assembly on Saturday in gentle of the deteriorating air high quality, and introduced the implementation of Stage III Graded Response Motion Plan (GRAP) in the complete NCR area.
CAQM chairperson M M Kutty has additionally written to the Punjab Chief Secretary, requesting instant motion to curb farm fires and a complete action-taken report in all reported instances. Ineffective implementation of statutory instructions issued by the CAQM is a matter of concern, mentioned the chairperson. Setting Minister Bhupender Yadav may additionally take up the matter with Punjab.
The ministry has revealed that as much as October 24, crop on solely about 45-50% of the sown space has been harvested in Punjab. “The contribution of stubble burning to the adversarial air high quality state of affairs in Delhi-NCR is at present at 18-20% and is more likely to enhance,’’ mentioned sources.
About 71% of farm fires in Punjab this paddy harvesting season have been reported from seven — Amritsar, Sangrur, Firozpur, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Patiala and Tarn Taran — districts alone.
Haryana, UP fare higher
In keeping with the Setting Ministry, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have fared properly in checking farm fires. Haryana has introduced down the stubble fires to 1,701 (September 15 to October 28) in comparison with 2,252 situations in the identical interval final yr – a drop of 24.5%. Within the NCR districts of UP as properly, there was a discount within the variety of farm fires from 43 in 2021 to 30 throughout the identical interval in 2022. The Ministry had termed the three days round Diwali this yr the very best previously seven years, which consultants attributed to the beneficial wind situation.
Over the previous two months, the CAQM has held common conferences with officers of the states neighbouring the NCR, together with Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and has been issuing instructions in addition to monitoring the stubble-burning standing.
Below the CAQM instructions, a complete motion plan was ready by the Punjab authorities which included crop diversification, in-situ crop residue administration, bio-decomposer software, ex-situ crop residue administration, consciousness campaigns and monitoring, and enforcement.
The Centre has mentioned that it made Rs 1,347 crore out there to Punjab underneath the Crop Residue Administration (CRM) scheme within the final 5 years.
“The utilisation of the equipment has, nonetheless, been very poor and numerous machines stay unused, a severe drain on the sources,’’ mentioned sources.
The ministry has additional alleged that regardless of the success of using bio-decomposers in UP and Delhi for the in-situ stubble administration, the machines weren’t deployed in Punjab. Not sufficient straw has been used as fodder for ex-situ administration and that the attention campaigns by the state haven’t been efficient. Increased incidence of residue burning are additionally indicative of failures in monitoring and enforcement, mentioned the ministry officers.