Just days after the World Health Organisation said Delhi and Gurgaon are among the world’s most polluted cities, the NCR is gearing up for the summer crop burning season in Haryana and Punjab, which causes smoke pollution and related problems.
While paddy stubble burning in October-November has been the cause of major pollution in the NCR, wheat crop residue burning this summer is expected to cause less problem. The main reasons are high temperature, recent rains, high speed winds and lesser crop burning incidents.
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Though reports of farmers setting fire to their crop residue are pouring in, officials of various state pollution control boards, however, claimed that this year, the number of crop burning incidents appear to be lesser, according to data evaluated from satellite images from Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Suomi NASA.
Till May 2, 164 cases of wheat stubble burning were detected from Sonepat, Jind, Pawal and other places in Haryana and around 250 cases in Punjab including Amritsar and Sangrur districts. Farmers are being issued challans for burning crops.
The 2015 order of the National Green Tribunal banning burning of crop residue in Rajasthan, UP, Haryana and Punjab seemed to have had limited impact. State governments have offered incentives to Panchayats which will pass the resolution to stop crop burning.
The pollution is also likely to be lower than winter burning as paddy has more silica and can’t serve as fodder for the cattle but wheat straw can. Moreover, during the winter harvest the farmers have only a 10-15 days gap before they go to the next crop. In summer, the time gap is comparatively more. So these limit the spread of smoke from crop burning.