NASA images show stubble burning in areas adjoining Delhi as air quality deteriorates

New Delhi: On Tuesday, Delhi government shared an image showing large scale stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The images in question have been captured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Even as these images show proof of rampant stubble burning in adjoining states, air quality in the national capital region (NCR) continues to oscillate between 'hazardous' and 'very poor'. 

Experts have pointed out how air pollution levels in Delhi skyrocketed during the stubble burning season. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also pointed out how the activity affects Air Quality Index (AQI), posing danger to the residents of the national capital. However, little initiative has been taken by the governments of the respective states to curb the practice or inform farmers about the consequences of stubble burning.

The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) recently introduced an advanced Air Quality Early Warning System. Officials will rely on this system to identify settlements around Delhi that are likely to burn crop residue on any given day. The purpose of this system is to allow authorities to act in advance. Developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, the system will take stubble burning data from the past 15 years into consideration and predict patterns to ascertain where it will happen on a particular day.

(NASA image of stubble burning) [Picture Courtesy: IANS]

It must also be noted that farmers in some parts of the country are actively working to discourage the practice of stubble burning. In Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib, a farmer by the name of Jarnail Singh is setting an example for others. District officials told media outlets that Singh has not burnt his own stubble for the past several years which has enabled him to advise others to follow suit. He has even set up a 'Kisaan Welfare Group' that aids other farmers in availing subsidizing advanced machinery for better handling of stubble.

Researchers from the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in March of this year revealed that stubble burning in northern India causes an estimated economic loss of USD 30 billion annually. This essentially means that the practice costs India an annual loss of almost ₹3000 crores in revenue for India. A co-author of the study had pointed out that stubble burning leads to a considerable increase in the levels of airborne particulate matter in Delhi. This is worrying because the concentration of pollutant particles in Delhi's air at times spike to 20 times the safety limit prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).