EMERGENCY IN THE AIR
CURBS Schools shut, complete ban on constructions; avoid exposure, outdoor exercise, say experts
NEW DELHI: The National Capital Region (NCR) experienced its most polluted day in nearly two years on Friday as the air quality deteriorated sharply, forcing the authorities to advise people to stay indoors, shut down schools, ban all construction activity, and declare a “public health emergency”.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 4pm bulletin, Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI) was at 484 — up from 410 the day before — while the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 dust particles crossed “emergency” thresholds at midnight. In Noida and Ghaziabad, the AQI was 499, while it was 469 in Gurugram.
In four of 38 monitoring stations, the AQI readings topped out at 500 — the highest level that can be recorded. It was on November 9, 2017, when the AQI last crossed the level seen on Friday, having settled then at 486.
“People are advised to ensure they minimise personal exposure [to the outside air] as far [as] possible and do not exercise in the open till pollution levels are reduced. In particular, minimise exposure of children, aged and vulnerable,” said an advisory issued by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (Epca).
The actions come nearly at the end of a week that began with a toxic haze caused by illegal use of firecrackers on Diwali on October 27, made worse still by weather conditions that trapped them in the atmosphere and by smoke that drifted in from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana.
According to the Union government’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the share of pollutants from the farm fires — mostly ultra-fine PM2.5 particles — had shot up from 15% on Tuesday to 46% on Friday.
“Delhi has turned into a gas chamber due to smoke from crop burning in neighbouring states. It is very [important] that we protect ourselves from this toxic air,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet on Friday morning, while posting photographs of a government function to distribute breathing masks to children.
Hours after the event, the CM announced that schools in Delhi will be shut till Tuesday following a recommendation from Epca.
“We have to take this as a public health emergency as air pollution is now hazardous and will have adverse health impacts on all, but particularly our children,” Epca chairperson Bhure Lal said in a letter to the administrations of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
The Epca also ordered a complete ban on construction work, firecracker use, and activities of polluting industries such as stone-crushers.
The order came amid growing criticism of the response mechanism — the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) — and a rule that says escalating curbs will apply only when pollution has been severe for more than 48 hours.
Experts, including some from within Epca, also questioned why some curbs such as shutting of schools was kept only in most extreme scenarios such as when an emergency had to be declared.
According to officials, people in NCR will need to wait till the weather changes for any relief. “A western disturbance is approaching and this is expected to trigger some strong surface winds, which in turn would help flush out pollutants. Significant improvement is expected from Sunday onwards,” said a senior official of Safar.
Delhi, meteorologists explained, is at present trapped in a cycle of pollution that blocks out the sun, which in turn makes the day temperatures cooler — a crucial factor that again leads to pollutants being trapped in the air. Once winds help clear some pollutants, more sunshine will aid in warming and, thus, clearing away more particles.
Beginning on Monday, oddeven road rationing restrictions will apply in the national capital. The Delhi government also announced that 42 agencies, including Delhi government departments, municipal corporations and the state election commission, will work in staggered office timings untill oddeven restrictions end on November 14. The crisis in the national capital also took a political turn, with chief minister Kejriwal demanding the Centre and the state governments of Punjab and Haryana come up with “specific timelines” to end the practice of farm fires.
PATIALA: On Friday, the sun didn’t shine over Punjab for the second consecutive day, eclipsed as it was by a thick blanket of a toxic smog created by unabated paddy stubble fires across the state. Such was level of air pollution that even the satellite imageries could not record the fire incidents, particularly in the worstaffected southern districts.
Post-Diwali, a sudden spike in stubble burning has raised questions on the efficacy of a raft of steps taken by the state government to curb the menace. As many as 17,672 farm fires — almost 80% of this season so far — have been recorded in last week. “Officers from deputy commissioner to peon are working to stop farm fires, but there is no political support,” says an exasperated senior IAS official, who requested anonymity. “Not a single MLA of any party has opposed stubble burning. Everyone is trying to defend Punjab, saying the state is not responsible for Delhi smog, but what about the smog in Punjab? Do you think the Punjabis are not suffering?”
HT looks at five reasons why the stubble burning ban has failed to produce results:
FARMERS BLAME LATE HARVESTING
The farmers blame delayed paddy harvesting as the reason behind paddy straw burning. That left them with a very little time window between harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat. “We have to sow wheat before November 15. Since handling paddy straw is tedious process, burning it is an easier option to clear the fields for the next crop,” says Mukhtiar Singh, a farmer in Patiala.
However, the agricultural department doesn’t buy into this argument, saying the wheat can be sown till end of November.
TARDY IMPLEMENTATION OF CENTRAL SCHEME
Under an ambitious scheme, funded by the central government, Punjab had set a target of distributing 19,000 subsidised machines to farmers for in-situ management of stubble. But due to late tendering, it managed to provide only half of that before harvesting. Non-availability of machines to small farmers left them with little option but to resort to stubble burning.
“I have 2.5 acres of land, and I can’t afford a tractor or machine. If the government is serious, it should come with a bailer and clear my field, otherwise I will clear it by using fire,” said Harjinder Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan). In fact, farmers insist that machines are available at much cheaper price in the market as compared to the subsidised machinery. “Why no direct subsidy to farmers if government is serious about controlling paddy?” asks Gurmej Singh, a farmer leader.
SOFT GOVERNMENT, DEFIANT FARMERS
Even as a sizable section of farmers have got access to subsidised machines, some of peasants’ unions have been openly exhorting farmers to defy the ban against stubble burning to pres
sure the government to meet their demand for a bonus of Rs 100 per quintal as an incentive for not burning stubble.Some farmer unions are even confronting the officials making surprise checks in the fields and imposing fines on farmers found burning stubble. Jagtar Singh, a leader of BKU (Ugrahan), says, “Farmers are already under financial stress. It is the duty of government to pay at least Rs100 per quintal as charges of handling paddy straw.”
What has complicated the matter is the government’s soft approach on cracking the whip against farmers who form an influential vote bank. This led to a lax enforcement against defaulters. By the time the government was woken up by the pollution outcry in national capital and officials started taking action against errant farmers , it was too late.
HC DIRECTIONS ON NOT RECOVERING FINES
Even before harvesting season, a major blow to campaign against stubble burning came last month when the high court stayed the recovery of fines imposed on farmers earlier. But, farmer unions misinterpreted HC directive as a restraint order on the state government for slapping any penalty on farmers for stubble burning. “Prior to the HC order, there were minimal
farm fires, but farmer leaders spread misinformation which led to a large scale violation of the ban,” said an official.
NON-OPERATIONAL BIOMASS UNITS
Punjab Energy Development Agency had floated tenders for 150 MW biomass plants, which could have handled at least 50 lakh MT of paddy straw. However, despite getting bids, no one came forward as PSPCL is not signing power purchase agreement on tariffs decided by the state power regulator. Due to low tariff, the bidders are not investing in biomass plants, as a 10 MW plant needs ₹00-crore investment. Even the two existing biomass plants in the state are non-functional.