Steps taken to reduce air pollution in Delhi as stubble burning season nears: Centre

It has also decided that UP, Haryana, Delhi and Punjab would mandatory use of biomass with 50% paddy straw as a supplement fuel in thermal power plants

On the eve of the stubble burning season in Punjab and Haryana, the Union Environment Ministry on Thursday said that preventive measures taken this time would reduce the air pollution load in Delhi and its satellite cities next month, but refused to share its estimate on the extent of such reduction.

The preventive intervention includes higher use of crop residue removal machines, mandatory use of straw in NTPC power plants as supplementary fuel, creating straw-based animal feed for Kutch and Jaisalmer, use of biological decomposition technology, better enforcement and awareness on the prevention of farm fires and cleaning up of the cities.

“I am positive and optimistic. We have the support of the state governments. But I can't say how much reduction in air pollution will happen,” Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said here after a review meeting attended by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, environment ministers of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and senior officials from all the states including Punjab.

Each year between October and November, Delhi and its surrounding towns are engulfed by a thick blanket of polluting haze, created primarily by stubble burning in the agriculture fields of Punjab and Haryana, turning the Delhi National Capital Region into a veritable gas chamber.

Also Read | Stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana has affected agricultural productivity: Study

Despite a few counter-measures taken by the governments, the impacts of such interventions are far too less when compared against the scale of the problem.

For instance, nearly 45 lakh hectare area is under paddy cultivation in Punjab and Haryana but the bio-decomposition technology would be tested on less than 3 lakh hectare area in these two states.

It has also been decided that UP, Haryana, Delhi and Punjab would mandatory use of biomass with 50 per cent paddy straw as a supplement fuel in thermal power plants, for which the National Thermal Power Corporation would come out with a tender shortly.

A task force has also been constituted to work out the mode and means for utilizing the non-Basmati stubble as fodder in Rajasthan and Gujarat. More than 56,000 farm implements are being procured to facilitate managing the crop residue on the site. These will be in addition to nearly 1.42 lakh such machines that are already available.

Other ministries and municipal bodies in the NCR have been asked to carry out measures to reduce dust pollution.

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