Stubble Burning Air Pollution

: The National Green Tribunal has been informed through a report that Punjab's stubble burning incidents have decreased by 70 per cent. The NGT previously sought regular reports from the authorities in the state on the issue of air pollution caused in the NCR owing to stubble burning. A report dated November 26 was filed by the director of agriculture and farmers' welfare department, saying "As a result of the efforts made by the state of Punjab, the number of paddy stubble burning incidents reduced from 36,551 on November 25, 2023, to 10,479 on November 25, 2024 -- a decrease of 70 per cent." The report stated about 19.52 million tonne of paddy straw was expected to be managed in the year through various means, including in-situ (managing paddy straw on the field) and ex-situ (transporting the straw for various uses) methods and using the residue for animal fodder. "In ex-situ management, primarily balers are used for collection of straw before transportation for industrial and ot

The Madhya Pradesh High Court Bar Association has decided that none of its member lawyers will fight the cases of farmers related to stubble burning citing environmental reasons. An official of the association said stubble burning not only creates pollution, but also causes the deaths of living organisms. President of the association advocate D K Jain said that in its executive committee meeting, discussion was held and concerns were expressed about the dangers posed to public life due to incidents of stubble burning across the country. People are suffering from many diseases due to stubble burning. At present, the practice of burning stubble is increasing in the country, he said. Jain said that in the interest of the country, supporting the ban on stubble burning, it has been decided that the advocates associated with the association will not appear for the accused farmers in the stubble burning cases. According to news reports, Madhya Pradesh ranks first in the country in ...

Despite reports of declining farm fires in Punjab, many now occur later in the day, possibly evading satellite detection

A research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reveals that thermal power plants in the national capital region release 16 times more air pollutants than stubble burning

Farm fire cases reached the 8,000 mark in Punjab this season with the state reporting 136 such incidents on Saturday, data showed. Sangrur district reported 50 stubble-burning incidents during the day, the highest maximum in the state, followed by 30 in Ferozepur, 17 in Barnala and 12 in Patiala, according to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. On the same day in 2022 and 2023, the state saw 1,358 and 1,271 active farm fire events respectively. From September 15 to November 16, Punjab has seen a total of 8,000 stubble-burning incidents, registering around 75 per cent dip in crop residue burning in comparison to such cases in the corresponding period last year. Punjab had seen a total of 46,822 and 31,932 farm fires during the same period in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The state has seen an addition of around 4,000 farm fire incidents since November 3 this season. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana after harvesting of the paddy crop in October and November is often blamed for th

Punjab farmers have found a way to outwit Nasa satellite surveillance in the ongoing stubble-burning crisis by strategically timing their fires

Despite alarming pollution levels, city officials have not yet activated Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes the closure of primary schools

The notice sought an explanation from the officials as to why stubble-burning cases were on the rise and why the CAQM's orders to reduce air pollution had not been adhered to

The stricter penalties come in the wake of sharp criticism from the Supreme Court, which had previously termed the earlier penalties 'toothless'

Punjab recorded 379 farm fires on Saturday, with Sangrur district witnessing the highest number of 66 such incidents, taking the total case count in the state past 3,900. The state registered the current season's biggest spike in farm fires on Friday with 587 cases. Sangrur had reported the highest number of 79 cases. From September 15 to November 2, the state has seen 3,916 farm-fire cases, according to data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. Ferozepur district reported 50 farm fires on Saturday, Tarn Taran 42, Amritsar 27, Bathinda 28, Moga 26, Patiala 21 and Kapurthala and Ludhiana 15 each. The districts with farm-fire cases in single digits included Fazilka (one), Rupnagar (two), Hoshiarpur (two), Faridkot (six), Jalandhar (eight), Malerkotla (five), Barnala (six) and SBS Nagar (three). Punjab reported 484 farm fires on Thursday, with Sangrur recording the highest number of 89 cases. There has been a steep jump in the number of farm fires over the last few days. The stat

There has been a 29 per cent decline in stubble burning incidents this year compared to the corresponding year-ago period due to the significant steps being taken by the Haryana government for crop residue management, it said on Monday. Acting on the directives of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, a state-specific scheme has been implemented to curb incidents of stubble burning, according to an official statement. This initiative provides financial assistance to farmers for crop residue management while setting zero-burning targets for panchayats. As a result of these efforts, there have been 713 recorded incidents of stubble burning this year, marking a 29 per cent reduction compared to the corresponding year-ago period, it said. However, strict action has been taken against law violators, the statement further said. Police cases have been registered against 192 farmers for burning stubble, it added. "So far, 334 challans have been issued and fines amounting to Rs 8.45 lakh recov

The Supreme Court has reprimanded the Centre and state governments for failing to control stubble burning, emphasising citizens' right to a pollution-free environment

Delhi's air quality index (AQI) stood at 354 on Wednesday, marking an increase from the previous 24-hour average of 327, which falls under the 'very poor' category

Delhi air quality today: Data from the Centre-backed Air Quality Early Warning System showed multiple weather monitoring stations in the national capital hovering in the 'red' mark between the 350-400

Haryana's Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department has suspended 24 officials over alleged failure to take adequate steps to prevent stubble burning incidents in their respective areas. An order in this regard was issued on October 20. While the order mentioned that the officials are suspended on administrative grounds, a senior officer of the department on Tuesday said the action has been taken because of the alleged failure of these officials to prevent stubble burning incidents. He said that more stubble burning cases were found in their areas. The officials, who have been placed under suspension, include agriculture inspectors, supervisors and agriculture development officers from nine districts --Jind, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Karnal, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Sonipat and Ambala. When reporters here on Tuesday asked Haryana's Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana the reason behind suspension of the 24 officials, he said, "The reason is that stubble should not be burnt." "Wh

Punjab Police said on Monday said it has lodged over 870 FIRs for stubble burning in over a month and imposed fines of Rs 10.55 lakh on the offenders. Besides, red entries have also been made in revenue records of nearly 400 farmers for burning crop residue, they further said. Red entries marked in revenue records makes it difficult for farmers to sell, mortgage their land or avail loans against it. Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said the Punjab Police, jointly with civil administration, has initiated a massive campaign to educate farmers about harmful effects of stubble burning and also the possible legal actions against those found putting matchstick to paddy straw. He said legal action is being initiated against those found burning stubble. "Till now, 1,393 farm fires were detected by satellites in the state, and joint teams were sent for inspection on the spot," Shukla said, adding that police teams have registered FIRs in 874 cases since Septe

Terms air pollution monitoring panel in NCR as 'toothless wonder'; summons Haryana chief secretary to explain non-compliance and lack of strict measures against offenders

The Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has empowered district magistrates to take legal action against officials failing to enforce restrictions on stubble burning in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and the NCR areas of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The CAQM, a statutory body tasked with preparing strategies to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, said 267 stubble-burning incidents were reported in Punjab and 187 in Haryana between September 15 and October 9. "Taking into account the current situation and to ensure effective implementation of the action plans at the field level, the CAQM has authorised deputy commissioners/district collectors/district magistrates in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and NCR areas of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to file a complaint/prosecution before jurisdictional judicial magistrate in case of inaction in respect of officials, including nodal officers and supervisory officers and station house officers, responsible for effective enforcement towards ensurin

Govts step up efforts, but farmers say policies unclear, assistance insufficient