Air Pollution: Stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana led to 103-unit jump in Delhi AQI. THIS new study reveals how

Air Pollution: A new study has found that stubble burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana have decreased since last year, yet Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) continues to face seasonal challenges.

The AQI in national capital was recorded ‘very poor’ at 349 as of 7 am on Wednesday, October 23, according to the pollution monitoring by SAFAR-India of the Union Ministry of Earth Science.

Between 2019 and 2023, both Haryana and Punjab – key regions for stubble burning – experienced fluctuations in fire incidents, with considerable reductions in 2022 and 2023, according to a study by Climate Trends, a research-based environment consulting initiative.

Haryana police on Monday said they have arrested 14 farmers in Kaithal over the past few days for stubble burning in their fields amid deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR.

The Supreme Court, October 23, rapped the Modi government at the Centre for making environment laws ‘toothless’, saying that the provisions of the CAQM Act related to penalties for stubble burning have not been implemented.  The top court also hauled up Punjab and Haryana governments for not taking any action against people for stubble burning. 

On October 16, Supreme Court observed that nothing has been done by the Punjab and Haryana governments to take action against stubble burning. 

Fire Counts Decreased

The Climate Trends analysis indicates that fire counts in Haryana decreased from 14,122 in 2019 to 7,959 in 2023. In Punjab, fire incidents peaked in 2020 at 95,048 but dropped to 52,722 by 2023. 

Districts such as Karnal and Kaithal witnessed remarkable decreases of approximately 86 per cent and 78 per cent, respectively. However, areas like Gurgaon, Mewat, and Jhajhar experienced increases in fire incidents, the analysis reads, it says.

The research used satellite data to monitor fire incidents in Punjab and Haryana and correlate that with Air Quality trends for 11 NCR cities, over the period from September 1 to December 31 between 2019 and 2023.

Political Blamegame

The post-monsoon period remains the most fire-prone, with considerable reductions observed in districts like Gurdaspur and Muktsar in Punjab, which saw decreases of up to 71 per cent.

However, some areas, including Amritsar and Sangrur, reported minimal changes, and a few places like Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar experienced slight increases in fire counts.

“The reduction in fire incidents across Punjab and Haryana presents a mixed trend. While some districts have made significant strides, the total fire count remains high,” said Aarti Khosla, the Director of Climate Trends.

The deteriorating air quality often leads to political blamegame too. Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday blamed Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘dirty politics’ for the growing air and water pollution in Delhi. She, however, gave a clean chit to Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab and blamed stubble burning, diesel buses and brick kilns in BJP-ruled Haryana for the poor air quality in Delhi.

AQI affected by fire incidents

The analysis highlights that Delhi’s air quality was adversely affected by these fire incidents. “Fire incidents in Punjab and Haryana contributed to a 103-unit increase in Delhi's AQI, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated fire management and air quality interventions across states,” it said.

On days without fires, the city’s air quality index (AQI) averaged 175 (Moderate category). However, during the stubble burning season, this figure surged to 233 (Poor category), and when fire counts exceeded climatological averages, the AQI peaked at 337 (Very Poor category).

"While the farm fires have seen a dip in numbers, we must also focus on the other sources, said Dr Sagnik Dey, Professor, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT Delhi.

While reductions in fire incidents represent a positive trend, the seasonal peaks in air pollution require more robust interventions, such as improved agricultural practices, enhanced satellite monitoring, and stricter enforcement of fire-prevention measures, the study said.

The report calls for measures aimed at reducing stubble burning and improving public awareness, as well as investment in cleaner agricultural technologies.