The farmers are caught were caught in a vicious time-cycle as they have to harvest rice from mid-October to mid-November each year and cultivate wheat in a space of 10-15 days.
With farmers in the agrarian states continuing to set paddy residue afire despite a ban on this practice, many have been slapped with fines and others booked for stubble burning. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that pollution in Delhi is an effect of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at Haryana and Punjab government, targetting them for stubble burning taking place within their borders.
Three hundred farmers have been booked for burning stubble in their fields in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district, despite directives from the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Delhi Air Pollution Latest News: As the AQI in Delhi entered the second-worst severe category on Tuesday, Arvind Kejriwal appealed "with folded hands" to Punjab and Haryana to take concrete steps against stubble burning to prevent the national capital from becoming a "gas chamber".
NASA has released an image showing stubble burning in North India, which is considered one of the factors contributing to air pollution.
Westerly and northwesterly winds bring dust from western regions and smoke caused by burning of crop residue in the neighbouring Punjab and Haryana to Delhi-NCR.
The paddy harvesting season has started in Punjab and the state has already recorded a 45 per cent increase in stubble burning incidents till October 11, but the administration hopes the farm fire counts will come down gradually as a result of intensive interventions made this year.
Stubble burning season starts in Punjab and Haryana
Lakhmir Rajput, Additional CEO regarding celebrations of 550th birth anniversary of the first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev, has taken cudgels by penning songs and poems in local dialect to spread awareness to check the burning of rice stubble, a common affair that chokes the whole of north during onset of winter, especially the national capital, with heavy smog cover.
The study that estimates -- for the first time -- the health and economic costs of CRB in northern India also found that CRB leads to an estimated economic loss of over USD 30 billion annually.
Experts attribute the current pollution situation of Delhi to local sources, including vehicular emissions, dust and industrial pollution. There are over 14 major sources of pollution in Delhi.
"The sky will be clear with mist in the early part of the day," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.
The air-quality across the NCR was very poor, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
Authorities said the AQI of Delhi would remain in the upper range of the "very poor" category till November 5, and thereafter, it could see severe deterioration due to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
Eleven areas in Delhi recorded "severe" air quality while 16 areas recorded "very poor" air quality, according to the CPCB data.
Lashing out at the Centre, Kejriwal said that the Union minister Harshvardhan had assured him "a few months ago" that both Punjab and Haryana would get grants to buy machines for managing stubble.
The Prime Minister also referred to how the tribes and their traditions and rituals are the best examples of coexistence with nature.
The prime minister was sympathetic to the problem of farmers, said Singh, who is pressing for Rs 100 per quintal compensation to farmers to check stubble burning.
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is a major cause of air pollution not only in the two states but also in the national capital.
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