Delhi AQI 370: Sirsa Blames Punjab Stubble Fires, 584 Burnt on 3 Nov
Delhi's air stayed 'very poor' on Thursday, with 18 stations in the severe band, while Delhi and Punjab traded blame over farm fires.
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech / Wikimedia Commons
Delhi’s average air quality index stood at 370, in the “very poor” band, on Thursday 5 November, and 18 monitoring stations crossed 400 into the “severe” category, according to figures reported by ETV Bharat. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Punjab’s AAP government was “misleading” people on stubble burning, the PTI news agency reported. Punjab had not responded when the reports were filed.
Jahangirpuri at 459, Anand Vihar at 296
Jahangirpuri recorded 459, IIT Delhi 450 and Punjabi Bagh 448, the highest readings on the day. Anand Vihar, a station often near the top of such lists, stood at 296. Outside Delhi, Noida averaged 312, Gurugram 322 and Ghaziabad 268. Mumbai (103) and Chennai (98) were far lower. Sirsa also apologised to NCR residents inconvenienced by curbs on the entry of vehicles below BS-VI norms.
584 Farm Fires in a Day
Sirsa cited Punjab Pollution Control Board data showing 2,196 farm-fire incidents this season and 494 FIRs. He said 584 fires on 3 November was the highest single-day count so far, against 292 on 4 November last year. He pointed to state figures that put paddy harvesting at 77 per cent complete, which he said contradicted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s statement that harvesting had not started. He also questioned Punjab’s claim of a 90 per cent fall in stubble burning and said the Centre had released Rs 5,000 crore for machines such as happy seeders and balers.
The AAP has not replied to these charges in the reports reviewed. Delhi’s AQI had been about 60 on 30 October, Sirsa said, before climbing to roughly 350 within four days. IPB News reported earlier on the GRAP-II curbs and Jahangirpuri readings and on the Supreme Court’s green-cracker window on 7 and 8 November. More on the Delhi air pollution story is on the tag page.
Punjab Officials Called In
On 4 November the Commission for Air Quality Management summoned deputy commissioners and senior police officers from several Punjab districts over alleged failure to check farm fires, Sirsa said. The AQI trend in Delhi this week was 324 on 2 November, 350 on 3 November, 377 on 4 November and 370 on 5 November. Whether the commission will order further action against the Punjab districts has not been announced.
Source: Based on reporting by ThePrint (PTI) and ETV Bharat.
Image: NASA / Wikimedia Commons.
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