Farm Fire
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, October 30: Hazardous and healthy describe the air quality at almost all the locations monitored by the agencies in Delhi, while the situations in the neighbouring Noida and elsewhere remain worse. The skyline of Delhi national capital region (NCR) wears the carpet of the smog.
The pediatric ICUs in hospitals are reporting rising number of children being admitted for breathing distress. The air quality monitors show the PM 2.5 level in excess of 178, which is called hazardous. With the missing wind in the Delhi NCR, the monstrous winter months are back to test the lung capacity of the people.
“We are treating a large number of children with breathing distress. The PICU (pediatric ICU) is showing full capacity occupation with children mostly admitted for breathing distress on account of the extremely poor air quality,” said a pediatrician, who sought anonymity.
Showing that the people in the national capital are condemned to breathe toxic air as a fait accompli, the response of the Central and the city governments has so far been to hold a few meetings while action on the ground is seen to be missing. Yet, the Centre claims with statistics that the farm fire incidents have come down by more than 50 per cent in Punjab and Haryana, the two states which report farmers setting their farm land on fire as a ritual ahead of the next cropping season.
“During the 45 days period in the current paddy harvesting season i.e., 15th September, 2023 to 29th October, 2023, the total stubble burning incidents in Haryana, Punjab, NCR – UP, NCR- Rajasthan and Delhi have come down from 13,964 in the corresponding period in 2022 to 6,391 in 2023 and from 11,461 in the corresponding period in 2021 to 6,391 in 2023 i.e., a reduction of 54.2 per cent and 44.3 per cent respectively,” the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a media statement on Monday.
The ministry took credits for the dip in the incidents of farm fires, saying that “a series of interventions by various stakeholders including frequent review and daily monitoring have resulted in bringing down stubble burning incidents significantly in the last two years”.
TheMinistry stated that the total stubble burning incidents detected in Punjab during these 45 days period is 5,254 as against 12,112 in 2022 and 9,001 in 2021. “The farm fire events reported in Punjab during the 45 days period of current year are 56.6 per cent and 41.6 per cent lesser as compared to the corresponding periods in 2022 and 2021 respectively,” added the Ministry.
In Punjab, during these 45 days period, the single day highest fire count during this year was reported on 29th October i.e., 1,068 as against 2,067 reported on 28th October in 2022 and 1,353 reported on 29th October in 2021, further added the Ministry. Yet, Punjab districts are reporting maximum stubble burning — Amritsar (1,060), Tarn Taran (646), Patiala (614), Sangrur (564), Firozpur (517).
“The total stubble burning incidents detected in Haryana during these 45 days period are 1,094 as against 1,813 in 2022 and 2,413 in 2021. The farm fire events reported in Haryana during the current year are 39.7 per cent and 54.7 per cent lesser as compared to the corresponding periods in 2022 and 2021 respectively,” added the Ministry.
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