Punjab has seen an increase of at least 28% in farm fire incidents
NEW DELHI: Raging farm fires in Punjab have contributed to air pollution in Delhi and its adjoining areas, with the air quality index showing the national capital’s air quality to be 40 times more toxic than the international standards prescribed for clean air.
The air quality in the National Capital Region of Delhi has plummeted to hazardous levels since the last couple of weeks with the PM 2.5 levels shooting up to 500 which is considered as “dangerous” by doctors and environmentalists. PM 2.5 is the dimension of the particulate matter that is present in the air and is almost ten times thinner than the human hair which can easily be inhaled through the nose and these matter settle in the human lungs creating a black soot or spots in human lungs.
The air quality data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the National Capital over the last one month shows that as the farm fires kept increasing in Punjab and the weather conditions in northern India became unfavourable with calm winds and dipping temperatures, Delhi got covered with a thick blanket of smog (smoke+fog).
According to CPCB data, the air quality index in Delhi increased from 150 to 500 in the last one month. The CPCB data also shows that since the 24th of October, the air quality index shot up by 50% and it is also during the same time when stubble burning across the state of Punjab and in some of parts of Haryana began to pick up.
The Punjab government’s own pollution and farm fire dashboard shows that a total of 26,543 farm fire incidents have been reported from the state, while the maximum number of farm fires have been reported from the Sangrur district, that is represented by the Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann. Apart from Sangrur, Barnala, Bhatinda, Firozpur, Moga, Mansa and Mukhtasar are some of the other districts of Punjab that are currently reporting more than 150 incidents of farm fire.
The fire map from NASA also shows the grim situation of Punjab’s farm fires, with the map showing the state to be in complete red colour, that indicates live fire incidents. The Punjab government in May 2022 had released a document on controlling farm fire in the states. The document titled “Action plan for control of burning of crop residue in Punjab” said that under the “Central Sector Scheme for Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-situ Management of Crop Residue”, 76,626 CRM (Crop Residue Management Machines) have been provided to the farmers and 19,836 custom hiring centers have been established in the state from where farmers can hire these machines to manage their crop residue.
The document also says that the Punjab government, between 2018 and 2022, has received funds to the tune of Rs 1106.55 crore to manage crop residue and stop farmers from burning their stubble. The document also details the role of various state administrations to ensure that farmers are not forced to burn their crops and the state government is able to dispose of their leftovers from the field in a sustainable and environment friendly manner.
However, despite these efforts, it seems to be a collective failure on part of the Punjab administration to check on the increasing incidents of farm fires and according to various reports, Punjab has in fact seen an increase of at least 28% in the incidents of farm fires compared to last year.
Vimlendu Jha, an environmental activist, told The Sunday Guardian that farm fires for the next 10-15 days would be one of the main contributors of air pollution in Delhi and the NCR region.
“Toxic fumes from the farm fires have almost 20-25% impact on the ambient air quality in the Delhi NCR region and it also reaches to about 40-45% during the peak burning season, which we are seeing now. This is the reason Delhi’s air quality index has decreased so much, making all outdoor activities almost impossible. Stubble burning along with the vehicular pollution and Delhi’s local polluting agents are making Delhi a gas chamber.” Jha said.
Following the steep rise in the pollution levels in Delhi NCR, the Delhi government on the advice of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for Delhi and adjoining areas has shut all schools, construction activities and plying of diesel vehicles, except essential goods vehicles.
However, Jha says that these are knee jerk reactions that are taken by the respective state governments overlooking the long term impact that air pollution has on human body. “Unfortunately, we as citizens are left with only these emergency reactions and we do not have a choice but to accept these emergency actions. School shut downs, vehicle moderation etc are just emergency measures, governments and governance cannot just depend on knee-jerk last-minute band aid solutions, but find a permanent solution for medium term and long term. But unfortunately, the government has none at the moment,” Jha told this newspaper.
The hazardous levels of pollution in Delhi are also causing immediate health impacts on children, adolescents and the old age population. People are complaining about itchy throat, runny nose, watery eyes and incessant cough that does not go away even after medication. Doctors and health experts are also constantly advising residents of the national capital to stay indoors as much as possible, especially during the early morning and evening hours as cold air is heavier and carries particulate matter at the breath level.
Doctors across hospitals in Delhi NCR are also seeing an increase in the number of patients coming in with similar complaints as mentioned above.
Dr Neetu Jain, Senior Consultant for Pulmonary and critical care at PSRI hospital in Delhi, told The Sunday Guardian that there has been an increase in the number of patient inflow to hospitals and they are getting to see two kinds of patients. “Firstly, we are getting to see a lot of new patients, who have never had complaints of respiratory ailments and these types of patients are coming with eye and throat irritation, and some people are also coming with headaches. I am also getting patients who are complaining of lethargy, body ache and difficulty waking up in the morning. The situation has worsened in the last one week,” Dr Neetu said.
“Patients having chronic lung issues like Asthma and COPD are also having major troubles during this pollution season. We are seeing an increase in the admission for such patients both in the ICU and in general wards. Children are also coming with similar complaints of cold, nasal discharge, eye irritation and other similar allergic symptoms. We are also seeing that a lot of these children who are showing allergic symptoms do not have any genetic predisposition but have developed these just due to the increasing pollution,” Dr Neetu Jain said.