No let-up in stubble burning in Ludhiana district

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, May 5

There is no let-up in stubble-burning cases as the daily farm fires have spiked up to 114 in Ludhiana district, the official figures have confirmed.

The gravity of the situation on ground could be gauged from the fact that the crop residue burning cases have jacked up four times within a week to touch 427 on Thursday from just 107 fire events recorded in Ludhiana in the first 28 days of the current wheat harvesting season, commonly known as rabi, till April 28, the data compiled by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) in Ludhiana has revealed.

The raging fires in the agriculture fields made Ludhiana the 11th worst-hit district in the state with a total of 427 cases of stubble burning recorded in district till May 5.

This was less than Ferozepur, which topped the state with the highest of 1,1163 stubble-burning cases, followed by Gurdaspur 958, Amritsar 939, Tarn Taran 909, Moga 907, Bathinda 708, Sangrur 609, Muktsar 486, Fazilka 440 and Kapurthala 461.

The last week witnessed 320 crop residue burning cases in the district, with a daily average of 46 farm fires — 64 on April 29, 23 on April 30, 26 on May 1, the season’s highest so far 114 on May 2, 17 on May 3, 26 on May 4 and 50 on May 5.

The impunity with which the crop residue burning continued this crop season also belied the claims made by the district administration to check the menace of stubble burning.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, all 968 villages covered under 941 panchayats and 367 primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) in Ludhiana district had before the start of kharif season in September last had resolved not to let anyone burn crop residue in their respective jurisdictions, but no such initiative was reported in the district so far.

While farmers blamed the “inadequate and ineffective” facilities and arrangements made by the government to avert farm fires, the administration claimed that much awareness and enforcement measures were taken to contain the menace of stubble burning in the district this season.

With this, the air pollution in the state’s industrial capital has also touched a new high as the air quality index (AQI) went up from 143, which falls under the “poor” category and was considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, on April 28 to 171, which was an ‘unhealthy’ level, on May 3.

As PM2.5 concentration in Ludhiana air remained the main pollutant, which is currently 11.3 times above the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) annual air quality guidance value, Ludhiana was the second most polluted city in Punjab on May 5 with the AQI 151, which also falls under the “unhealthy” category. Another industrial town Mandi Gobindgarh remained the most polluted area in the state with the highest AQI 172.

The poor air quality has left the maximum cities of Punjab under an envelope of smog, especially in the morning and evening hours, with the rise in respiratory problems due to “unhealthy” AQI.

The other top 10 most polluted cities in Punjab are Faridkot third with AQI 128, Khanna fourth with AQI 119, Amritsar and Mohali shared the fifth spot with AQI 118, Jalandhar sixth with AQI 82, Bathinda seventh with AQI 80, Ropar eighth with AQI 76 and Patiala ranked the ninth most polluted city with AQI 73.

“The increasing air pollution is a cause of concern, especially for the sensitive groups like aged, children and those suffering from respiratory and cardiac ailments. PM2.5 concentration being the main pollutant and going up to 15 to 20 times above the WHO guidelines is also injurious to health,” an expert Dr Ashok Kumar Khullar opined.

How to protect

• Wear mask outdoors
• Run air purifier indoors
• Keep windows closed to avoid dirty outdoor air
• Avoid outdoor exercise
• Promote greenery in your vicinity

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

#Pollution #stubble burning