Toxic air engulfs West UP towns: Baghpat tops charts with 381 AQI

In a bid to combat stubble burning, the UP Animal Husbandry Department has decided to promote its barter scheme — offering organic fertiliser in exchange for stubble

Written by Maulshree Seth

November 11, 2025 03:15 PM IST

3 min read

The government had claimed to have collected about 3 lakh quintals of stubble in exchange of about 1.55 lakh quintals of cow manure. (File)

Even as Delhi continues to see a spike in air pollution levels, towns in neighbouring Western Uttar Pradesh, including Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Hapur, and Noida, are also reporting an Air Quality Index above 300 — in the ‘very poor’ range.

In Baghpat, which was even more polluted than Delhi at 4 pm on Monday — reporting an AQI of 381 as compared to Delhi’s 362 as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data — officials have issued a public alert, requesting people, especially the elderly, children, and those with breathing issues, to either avoid outside travel or to use proper masks if stepping out.

“We have been issuing public appeals and spreading awareness that the elderly and children and those with breathing issues should be using masks,” said Dr Teerath Lal, Chief Medical Officer, Baghpat. “We have also put all our Community Health Centres on alert for cases of breathing discomfort and have asked them to ensure the public is aware about the use of masks.”

In a bid to combat stubble burning — one of the contributors to poor air quality in the region — the Uttar Pradesh Animal Husbandry Department has decided to promote its barter scheme by offering cow dung-based organic fertiliser in exchange for stubble that is usually burnt by farmers.

The department has directed its district units to undertake a “Parali ke badle Gauvansh Khad” campaign. “We will be collecting agricultural residue from farmers, who are willing, and giving them cow dung manure and compost. We have cow shelters across the state; they have enough cow dung and are looking to turn it into income. While stubble is also mixed with fodder for animals, it is also used to make value added by-products by these shelters,” informed Mukesh Meshram, Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry, adding that stubble collected from farmers is put to multiple uses

He said that the decision on how much fertiliser would be given against the stubble collected is left to local village panchayats, which are running the cattle shelters. Further, there are livestock help centres that farmers can approach, and their stubble would be collected from their respective homes.

Sources said a similar campaign was run earlier this year as well. The government had then claimed to have collected about 3 lakh quintals of stubble in exchange of about 1.55 lakh quintals of cow manure; it is expecting higher barter this season.

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Officials said a few days ago, a high-level meeting regarding pollution was conducted in Meerut for the entire region. Officials said special instructions were given to the Transport Department to keep a check on the movement of vehicles and enforce rules concerning vehicles that are 15-20 years old and still running on the road. Instructions have also been given to monitor large-scale constructions.

As per CPCB data, these towns reported a high AQI at 4 pm on Monday evening: Baghpat (381), Bulandshahr (306), Ghaziabad (312), Greater Noida (334), Noida (320), Hapur (324) and Khurja (308).

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