Air quality takes a beating in Haryana, turns ‘severe’ in Jind
'Very poor' in Rohtak, Karnal, Kaithal, Bhiwani, Bahadurgarh
4 min read
The Jind town air quality has turned “severe”, while several other Haryana towns are witnessing “poor” or “very poor” air quality amid the ongoing paddy harvesting in the state. (Representational Photo) While the paddy stubble burning cases may have come down significantly in Haryana this year, there is no corresponding improvement in air quality. People in Jind and several other towns are breathing unhealthy air as its quality has taken a beating.
The Jind town air quality has turned “severe”, while several other Haryana towns are witnessing “poor” or “very poor” air quality amid the ongoing paddy harvesting in the state. Rohtak, Karnal, Kaithal, Bhiwani, and Bahadurgarh have been placed in “very poor” category, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
However, Haryana government officials claim that the number of stubble burning incidents would be less than half this paddy season in comparison to 3,661 cases of farm fires in 2022. Till October 30 this year, as many as 1,146 cases of stubble burning have been reported from Haryana. The officials say that the harvesting season is inching towards completion in the state with the arrival of more than 51.5 lakh MT paddy in the state mandis against the total expected arrival of 60 lakh MT for the entire season.
A senior officer of Agriculture department told The Indian Express: “Apart from stubble burning, the dust created by the harvesting of paddy in fields and various procedures during the purchase process of the produce in mandis are also contributing to the pollution. Further, the farmers are preparing their fields with the help of tractors, which also kick up dust and adds to the vehicular pollution.”
When the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Jind was checked at 4 pm on Monday, it was found at 416 which is termed as “severe” with regard to quality of air. According to the CPCB, the AQI of Rohtak (314), Karnal (303), Kaithal (332), Bhiwani (330), and Bahadurgarh (362) fell in “very poor” category, while the air quality of Gurgaon (203), Faridabad (300) and Kurukshetra (271) was in “poor” category. The towns found in “moderate” category were – Ambala (115), Fatehabad (157), Hisar (192), Sirsa (112), and Yamunanagar (130), as per the CPCB.
According to an official, most people would experience breathing difficulty on prolonged exposure if the AQI value falls to 201-300 (“poor” category). “Very poor” category (AQI value 301-400) air quality would lead to some respiratory illness on prolonged exposure, while “severe” category air quality (AQI value 401-500) would affect even healthy people and seriously impact those with existing conditions. People suffering from asthma, lung, and heart diseases may experience breathing difficulty even when the air quality is in “moderate” category (AQI value 101-200), the official said.
On their part, the officials say they have already taken several initiatives to keep a tab on farm fires. They include giving an incentive of Rs 1,000 per acre to farmers for not indulging in stubble burning. As many as nine FIRs have been registered so far, while fines worth over Rs 20 lakh have been imposed on farmers found indulging in stubble burning.
When asked about the incidents of burning paddy straw in Haryana being held responsible for pollution by the Delhi government, Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister J P Dalal said that such incidents in Haryana are fewer relatively. “This fact has also been revealed by NASA’s satellite images. If we talk about pollution, the smoke from Punjab goes to Delhi and it is 4-5 times more than Haryana. Attention should be paid to stop incidents of burning paddy straw in neighbouring states,” the minister said, adding that “our government in Haryana has done a remarkable job in managing the paddy residue. Machines are made available to farmers to make bales, and subsidies too are provided to them. So, don’t defame Haryana’s farmers”.
According to data released by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, between September 15 and October 29 this year, Haryana had recorded 1,094 paddy stubble burning cases compared to 1,813 cases last year.
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