Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana typically accounts for 30% to 40% of Delhi's winter pollution
Tuesday, November 07, 2023
Indian farmers have been burning stubble despite being aware of its impact on air quality in surrounding areas and in the world's most polluted capital, New Delhi, which is currently gripped by a monstrous smog situation leading to restrictions on private vehicles and school closures.
The air quality in a village in the state of Haryana is so bad that a small farmer shares how it has led to increasing health problems among family members, especially his asthmatic uncle, who has difficulty breathing and needs a nebulizer to pump medicine directly into his lungs.
"We know stubble burning is harmful, especially for the health of our parents and children," Sharma (22) said.
But for this resident of Karnal village, known for growing rice and wheat, the only alternative to burning crop residues is to join the queue and hire machines to clear his field, which would cost him about $100 for his four-acre farm, Reuters reported.
The average waiting time to rent the machine, which costs nearly INR 300,000 ($3,606) in northern India, is two weeks, making it unaffordable for small farmers like Sharma who own four acres or less.
This highlights the challenge authorities face in improving air quality in northern India each winter.
More than 85% of India's farmers are categorized as small, meaning like Sharma, they own about four acres or less. Together, they control 47% of the country's agricultural land, government figures show.
Residents of Delhi and surrounding areas in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab experienced some of the dirtiest air in the world last week, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed.
Delhi closed primary schools and restricted road traffic as international cricketers in the city skipped training ahead of the World Cup match on Monday.
According to the government's air quality monitoring agency System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana typically contributed 30 to 40% of Delhi's pollution between October and November.
In response to government incentives and fines, the number of fires has dropped by 40 to 50% this year compared to last year, the government estimates, but nearly a dozen farmers in three Karnal villages said they will continue to burn, Reuters reported.
"No one in our village has been fined so far, though many have burnt stubble," said Dharamvir Singh, adding that he has cleared 10 acres this way and will do the same with another 10-15 acres of his own and leased land.
"Every day I have a cough and irritation in my eyes, but I'd rather have some medicine or a drink in the evening than have another expense."
