Delhi Pollution: Stubble Burning Not Sole Culprit, Say Experts

The stubble-burning cases in Punjab and Haryana have reduced significantly in the last six years, but Delhi's pollution has not reduced.

Chandigarh: As the paddy harvesting season begins in mid-September, the controversial issue of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and other nearby states comes to the forefront. It also adds to the rising level of air pollution in Delhi NCR, triggering a fresh debate every year and bringing the government and farmers face to face.

Stubble Burning Reduced Unlike Delhi's Pollution

According to the latest data from the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS), between September 15 and October 22, a total of 3,878 cases of stubble burning were reported in six states: Punjab (1581), Haryana (665), Uttar Pradesh (740), Delhi (11), Rajasthan (332), and Madhya Pradesh (549).

For the same period last year, a total of 4,374 cases of stubble burning were reported in these states, out of which 1,734 were reported in Punjab, 714 in Haryana, 540 in Uttar Pradesh, 2 in Delhi, 443 in Rajasthan, and 881 in Madhya Pradesh, reveals the CRIS data.

Six years ago, on October 22, 2018, 7,162 cases of stubble were reported in the aforementioned states, with 3,608 coming from Punjab, 2,445 from Haryana, and 1,109 from Uttar Pradesh.

This shows that the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana has declined significantly. However, during these years, Delhi's pollution level remained unchanged.

Stubble Burning Report of 2018 (Stubble ETV Bharat)

PGI And Punjab University Data

Punjab University's Public Health Department and PGI Chandigarh have both been working on this for some time. They also keep a close eye on instances of stubble burning. According to their records, 750 incidences of stubble burning have been registered in Punjab and Haryana during the previous eight days.

Professor Suman Mor of Punjab University and Professor Ravindra Khaiwal of PGI say the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana has decreased by up to 50% this year compared to the previous year.

Similarly, the Punjab government's records reveal that 1,581 incidences of stubble burning were registered in Punjab as of October 22. In comparison, this number was roughly 1,750 during the same period last year.

Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana Speaks

Haryana Government's Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana says that nearly 3,000 FIRs have been filed in Haryana in the case of stubble burning so far.

It means there is one case in two villages, as there are 6,000 villages in Haryana, but the propaganda has been such that all the pollution is being caused by farmers, he said.

“Pollution in Delhi is caused by both farmers and the city's populations. Pollution increases with population density. Airports and planes also emit pollution. It might also happen during construction activity. And 28 unclean sewers meet the Yamuna in Delhi, causing pollution,” Rana said.

Expert Speaks

Professor Ravindra Khaiwal, who is posted in PGI's School of Public Health, says that the biggest reason for Delhi's pollution is its geographical location.

“The change in weather and the height of the atmospheric boundary also increases the level of pollution. Lakhs of vehicles run in the capital city, and factories as well as construction work on a large scale are responsible for it. Stubble burning only adds to it,” he said.

He says that according to a study, stubble contributes to only between 0 and 30 per cent of pollution in Delhi.

“The level of pollution also depends on the winds. In the past years, there were some cases of stubble burning of three to five thousand in a day. But in the last two to three years, it has decreased,” Khaiwal said.

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