Delhi air quality worsens as Punjab stubble fires rise
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa blamed smoke from Punjab for the capital's rising pollution levels.
Delhi's air quality index (AQI) rose from 60 on October 30 to approximately 350 within four days, according to a report by Urban Acres. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Thursday that smoke from Punjab is responsible for the deterioration in the capital's air quality.
Sirsa alleged that the Punjab government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party, is misleading the public regarding crop-residue burning. He noted that Punjab recorded 584 stubble-burning incidents on November 3, the highest single-day figure this season, compared to 292 incidents on November 4 last year.
The minister stated that Punjab has recorded 2,196 stubble-burning incidents so far this season and 494 first information reports have been registered. He claimed that winds from a western disturbance are carrying smoke from Punjab towards Delhi.
A study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, and Panjab University found that stubble burning contributes nearly half of the black carbon pollution in rural Punjab. The study, published in the journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, noted that this contribution exceeds 90 per cent during peak burning hours between 1 pm and 6 pm.
The research highlighted that northwesterly winds carry smoke-laden air masses from Punjab towards the Indo-Gangetic plain, potentially affecting the National Capital Region (NCR). Punjab authorities have not immediately responded to the allegations made by Sirsa.
The Commission for Air Quality Management summoned deputy commissioners and senior police officers from several Punjab districts on November 4 regarding the failure to prevent stubble burning.