As per Section 144 of CrPC, burning of crop residue and garbage and use of coal-fired brick kilns are prohibited between October and December.
A thick blanket of smog has hit large parts of northern India, including Delhi, ahead of Diwali this year too. For the last few years, the smog has engulfed the national capital beginning October. This lasts till February or March.
However, according to a research conducted by iTV media group, the Punjab government is going to take measures to combat smog this time by cracking down on those who cause air and environment pollution by burning crop stubble and garbage as well as through industrial and vehicular emissions.
As per Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), burning of crop residue and garbage as well as use of coal-fired brick kilns are prohibited between October and December. Moreover, the Punjab government is prohibiting the use of substandard fuel in factories.
Punjab Chief Secretary Yousuf Naseem Khokhar said that immediate measures are being taken to combat the looming threat of smog this year. “In order to mitigate the factors behind smog, there is a need to adopt preventive measure and increase awareness,” he added.
Punjab’s Environment Department had also banned the construction of new brick kilns which involves BTK technology. Khokhar said they are allowing construction of ZigZag brick kilns as they are believed to reduce environment pollution by 70% and use of coal by 30%.
However, the Punjab government is yet to enforce Supreme Court’s directions regarding purchase of 30 ambient air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) to tackle this hazardous environmental phenomenon.
The Smog Commission had submitted 17 recommendations in its report about measures needed to fight the smog pollution in Punjab. The smog has emerged as a major environmental threat during the past few years with its peak season starting from October till December.
As per the data extracted by the research team, air pollution in Delhi, as marked on 12 October, worsened as the air quality reached “unhealthy” category as stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has begun. Burning of paddy straws every year in the months of October and November in Punjab and Haryana is one of the major contributors of air pollution in Delhi and its neighbouring cities.
The smoke and fine particulate matters pollute most of northwest India, especially the national capital. The air quality in north India worsens drastically during the winter months with heavy smog covering the region. Adults and children with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, must avoid prolonged outdoor exertion in this perilous pollution.
Within the last week, since the onset of crop residue burning in the neighbouring states of Delhi during the winter season, the air quality in Delhi and regions across the Indo-Gangetic plain has moved to the “poor” and “very poor” category.
Delhi witnessed a misty morning on 14 October with the minimum temperature recorded at 17.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season’s average whereas the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Anand Vihar at 7.51 am on 13 October was recorded at 699, which falls beyond the hazardous level range of 301 to 500.
Low level of air dispersion, low wind velocity and early harvesting of paddy crop have raised level of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) in the air. According to the research, reason for the increase in air ambient quality level is majorly caused due to the burning of paddy straw/stubble.
Last year, the cases of paddy straw burning numbered around 1,188 on Diwali, which was three times more than the average of 400 per day recorded before the festival.
Meanwhile, Delhi was termed as the most polluted city in the world on 8 November 2017 with an AQI of 999. Breathing air in the national capital was equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes in a day.
A 20% increment in health issues related to pollution were reported at the hospitals and nine million premature deaths were reported by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health which had stemmed from air pollution in 2015.
In India, the statistics have reached a baffling figure of 2.5 million deaths out of the nine million premature deaths reported. It was the highest compared in any one country.