Hussain releases latest satellite pics of north India; says crop residue burning at dangerous levels

Latest satellite images showed crop residue burning at "dangerous" levels, Delhi's Environment Minister Imran Hussain said Wednesday and asserted that it should be stopped immediately or the entire north India, including Delhi, would suffer serious health hazards.

Hussain, who also released the latest NASA image of north India, asked the people of Delhi to minimise local pollution, while noting that there will be "zero tolerance" for garbage and crop residue burning.

He also asked people to keep all construction material covered to stop dust re-suspension.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which prescribes a set of measures to curb air pollution based on the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) daily Air Quality Index (AQI), is already in effect in the national capital since Monday.

"It is high time crop residue burning in fields must immediately be halted, failing which a serious health hazard awaits the entire northern India.

"It is beyond any reasonable understanding as to why this menace is being ignored, despite a well-known fact that the consequences will be disastrous in the coming days," the minister said in a statement.

His statement comes on a day Delhi's air quality nosedived to the "very poor" category for the first time in the season. The overall AQI was recorded at 315 Wednesday, 15 points into the "very poor" category, according to the Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting And Research.

Hussain pointed out that with the onset of winter, the ambient air quality in parts of northern India, including Delhi, became a cause of serious concern, which was evident according to the National AQI.

He said due to induced cyclonic circulation over north Rajasthan and its neighbourhood, the wind direction over Delhi was likely to be variable with a speed of 5-10 kmph and a partly cloudy sky.

"There is a possibility of very light rain in some areas Saturday and Sunday. Although the prevailing meteorological conditions are favourable for dispersion, a higher level of moisture and residue crop-burning pollutants are likely to impact the air quality," Hussain said.

"The GRAP is already enforced and in view of the prevailing situation, the residents of Delhi are requested to minimise the local pollution.

"There will be zero tolerance for garbage and crop residue burning. It is also requested to keep all the construction material covered to stop dust re-suspension," he added.

The Badarpur Thermal Power Plant, which environmental activists say contributes majorly to Delhi's air pollution, has been closed since Monday.

With farmers already burning stubble, the Union Environment Ministry said the government had released Rs 591.65 crore to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi for promotion of agricultural mechanisation to manage crop residue.

The Environment Ministry had also said the number of active fire detections was less in 2018, compared to 2017 and 2016.