Stubble burning season begins in northern states as air quality concerns loom

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

As per the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), which adheres to the 2021 standard protocol notified by the air quality overseer, the Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi and NCR, there were six episodes of crop residue burning on September 15 and 16. These incidents occurred in Punjab's Amritsar, two in Haryana's Sonipat, two in Rohtak, and two in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria.

Professor Vinay Sehgal, principal scientist and in-charge of the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space Laboratory at IARI, explained, «Due to cloud cover following rain, the satellites did not detect farm fires on Sunday and Monday.»

Comparing data from previous years, IARI reported that between September 15 and 18 last year, satellites detected 23 fires in these neighboring states.

In the same timeframe in 2021 and 2020, the counts were 12 and 34, respectively.

Stubble burning is undeniably a significant contributor to the toxic air that envelops Delhi every winter. However, the latest figures indicate that the issue persists.

Urgent action from authorities is imperative. Without effective measures to mitigate this problem, the capital city will continue to face air quality challenges.

Professor Sehgal pointed out, «The farm fires are likely to increase from September 20 in north Punjab, including Amritsar and Tarn Taran.

It is a potato-belt and early harvesting starts here. However, the peak burning period occurs at the end of October or early November.» During its peak, the daily count of fires can exceed 3,000.