'Significant' level of stubble burning in Har, Pb: Govt

There was "significant" level of stubble burning this year in Punjab and Haryana, however, there is no "conclusive" study to suggest that it "always" impacts quality of air in Delhi, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

The statement was made in a written reply given by MoS for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Anil Madhav Dave to a query.

"Available satellite images indicate that the enforcement of ban on paddy stubble burning in farmlands of Punjab and Haryana has not been fully implemented and there has been significant level of stubble burning," the statement read.

As per the information furnished, residue from paddy generated by Punjab and Haryana was 19.70 million tonnes and 6.18 million tonnes respectively.
 

However, Dave had earlier heaped praises on Haryana - where BJP is in power- for checking stubble burning. He had said, "Haryana has done this very successfully. It has been able to control stubble burning by 90 per cent."

The ministry yet again steered cleared of citing stubble burning in neighbouring states as one of the sources of high pollution levels in Delhi and also sought to downplay a study carried out by IIT-Kanpur which listed stubble burning as the third highest contributor to Delhi's winter air-pollution, after construction dust and vehicular fumes.

"There is no conclusive study available that burning of paddy crop residue in states like Punjab and Haryana would always impact quality of air in the states/UT like Rajasthan and Delhi," he said.

"As per the report of IIT-Kanpur, the back trajectory analyses suggests that the crop residue burning and other biomass may be transported to Delhi from the sources upwind of Delhi," Dave said.

Early this year, a team led by IIT-Kanpur Professor Mukesh Sharma's report - Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Green House Gases in Delhi - had put the contribution of biomass burning in pollution within the city (during winters) at 17 per cent (for PM 10) and 26 per cent (for PM 2.5).

The Centre and Delhi government were engaged in a blame game earlier this month when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asserted that stubble burning in neighbouring states was the main cause of pollution in the national capital but Union Environment Minister Dave said Delhi was responsible for 80 per cent of its pollution.