New Delhi: The air quality in Delhi, which is already gasping for breath, further dipped to 500 in the ‘severe’ category, with officials pinning the blame on farmers of Punjab and Haryana for stubble burning.
According to data from SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research), the contribution of stubble burning to the haze and air pollution in Delhi-NCR was 35 per cent on Wednesday. It was estimated to be 24 per cent on Thursday and is likely to be 25 per cent on Friday.
Even as the Centre provides 50 to 80 per cent subsidy to farmers for purchasing the essential technology and machineries, so that instead of burning the straw, they can convert them into fertiliser, the problem of stubble burning still exists.
A government source said on Thursday that this facility to farmers is being provided by the state governments, and the Centre has spent crores of rupees in the last few years.
A farmer from Sirsa in Haryana, Sanjay Nyol, said most farmers mix the stubble in the soil using machines as they are aware of the environmental risks of burning the straw. But incidents of stubble burning are still reported from some places, and action has also been taken.
Environmental experts say that stubble burning is the biggest reason for the haze that has enveloped Delhi-NCR since the last few days. An expert from TERI, Sumit Sharma, said 30-60 per cent of fog cover and spike in air pollution in Delhi-NCR in the current season is due to stubble burning.
Comments
0 comment