Delhi air quality drops as Punjab stubble fires increase
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa blamed rising smoke from Punjab for the capital's worsening 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 stated that Punjab recorded 584 stubble-burning incidents on November 3, which was the highest single-day figure this season. He noted that Punjab has recorded 2,196 incidents so far this season and 494 first information reports have been registered.
The minister accused the Punjab government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party, of misleading the public. He claimed Punjab government data showed 77 per cent of paddy harvesting was complete, which contradicted a claim by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that harvesting had not yet started.
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 crop-residue 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 exceeded 90 per cent during peak burning hours.
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.