Delhi pollution: Stubble burning has declined in Punjab but is still a menace

Punjab has accounted for the largest share of stubble burning recorded in India over the years (Image: CIAT/NeilPalmer)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the neighbouring states of Delhi, ordering them to take immediate action against stubble burning, which the court said was one of the major contributors to air pollution in the national capital. Punjab largely bore the brunt of the court’s ire, as the state is said to be the biggest source of pollution through stubble burning. However, data shows that although Punjab still remains far ahead of others, the overall number of stubble burning instances recorded in the state has actually declined in recent years. Meanwhile, they have gone up in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

A decline of air quality in winter has been a regular affair in Delhi for many years now. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the health impact of the city’s air quality has remained 'severe' since November 1 this year. Data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology shows that stubble burning accounted for more than 38 percent of the concentration of PM2.5 particles in Delhi’s air on Wednesday. On the other hand, transportation, the second-biggest source, accounted for just above 11 percent.

The practice of setting crop residue on fire so that the field can be made ready for sowing the next crop is known as stubble burning. For farmers, thin profit margins and pressure to plant the next crop on time to maximise their yields mean that stubble burning is the most inexpensive and easiest way to clear their fields.

Punjab has seen the highest number of stubble burning instances recorded over the years. In fact, even this year, the state accounts for more than 65 percent of the stubble burning recorded in the country since September 15.

According to the data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), as many as 31,872 stubble burning events were recorded in India from September 15 to November 7. Even on Tuesday, as the Supreme Court was coming down harshly on the state, Punjab recorded 1,515 cases of stubble burning. November 5, which saw 3,230 stubble burning events in Punjab, has been the worst day so far this year.

However, the yearwise data comparison shows that Punjab has actually managed to bring down the number of stubble burnings in recent years. The state has recorded 20,978 stubble burnings since September 15 this year, a decline of more than 67 percent from 63,980 stubble burnings recorded during the same period in 2020.

Haryana, another neighbour of Delhi, too has managed to bring down the number of stubble burnings. The state has recorded 1,605 stubble burning instances since September 15 this year, down from the 2,615 such events recorded in 2022.

Madhya Pradesh overlooked?

While the neighbouring states of Delhi, especially Punjab, have received much of the flak for the menace of stubble burning, Madhya Pradesh has largely escaped scrutiny in public discourse despite seeing a rise in the number of stubble burnings recorded in the state.

This is largely because the conversation around stubble burning has always been largely centred around the issue of air pollution in Delhi. Although it might not directly affect the air quality of the national capital, a lack of any meaningful awareness campaigns run among the farmers of Madhya Pradesh—unlike their counterparts in Punjab and Haryana—has led to the state recording the second-highest number of stubble burnings in the country.

Despite this, Madhya Pradesh has still not been made part of the central government’s Agricultural Mechanization for in-situ Management of Crop Residue scheme, which provides subsidies for machinery required for crop residue management. Currently, only farmers of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh are covered by this scheme.

Stubble burning is not the only factor

November 2 saw the first big spike in Delhi’s air pollution this winter. Although stubble burning is one of the reasons for this, such a rapid build-up wouldn’t have happened unless local sources of pollution such as vehicle emissions and concentration, hadn’t already elevated the pollution levels. This claim is also strengthened by the fact that the decline in Punjab and Haryana has meant that the overall recorded number of stubble burnings has actually come down compared to previous years.

“This kind of rapid build-up is not uncommon during this part of the season and is generally associated with smoke-fall from farm stubble fires and meteorological factors assisting transportation of the smoke to Delhi-NCR and topping the high local pollution. But it must be kept in consideration that this rapid build-up in a short time span is able to tip air quality into severe category because baseline pollution from local sources is already very high,” said Avikal Somvanshi, Head of Urban Lab, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while releasing its analysis report of Delhi’s air pollution this week.

According to the CSE report, levels of NO2, which comes largely from vehicles, have seen a significant rise in Delhi. This indicates the high impact of vehicular pollution. In fact, city-wide average NO2 is up by 60 percent compared to the first week of October last year.

This signifies that while stubble burning needs to be curbed, more needs to be done to bring pollution from other major sources such as vehicles, industry, power plants, waste burning, and construction under control.