(Express Editorial) Air Pollution 2023: Welcome to Delhi!

Come to Delhi to experience its fourth consecutive “severe” air day today. If you are already here, you know this could be one of the longest streaks in the Capital city.

That’s not it, the air quality is expected to stay in the same category three more days. In other words until November 8, nothing is going to change here in the air.

Delhi air pollution is also being watched by NASA. Their Worldview shows rise in Punjab farm fires during the last weekend. The air poisoning in AAP’s Capital City is being contributed by another AAP state, Punjab.

Farm fires in Punjab are increasing since last three days contributing to toxic air in Delhi. It’s a Capitally welknown fact that Paddy straw burning in Punjab as well as in Haryana is a major reason of air pollution in the region.

It was November 4 and 5 when the NASA Worldview portal showed a significant increase in farm fires during the weekend. People in Delhi already aware of the fact that farm fires in Punjab are one of the biggest factors responsible for aggravated air quality in Delhi.

As per the environmentalists, not only in National Capital Delhi, Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is known as one of the major causes behind the alarming elevation in air pollution levels in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh during the two months of October and November every year.

The key rabi crop is the window for sowing wheat which is very short after paddy harvest. Wanting to quickly clear off the crop residue many farmers set their fields on fire .

As per the media reports, yesterday on November 05, 2023, around 3,230 farm fires incidents were seen which in fact is the highest in a day so far during this season.

Out of the 3,230 stubble-burning reports on Sunday, the maximum at 551 were reported in Sangrur, followed by 299 in Ferozepur, 293 in Mansa, 247 in Bathinda, 189 in Barnala, 179 in Moga, 177 in Tarn Taran, and 169 in Patiala.

That is not it again, So far, 17,403 farm fire incidents have been witnessed only in Punjab in 2023 in accordance with the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data.

Are odd-even schemes really helpful? Is closing of the schools for a week enough to save your kids from the poison in the air? Are the people sure the poisonous sky will not harm them and their families just because this happens every year?

Why don’t state governments find a solution for the paddy burning to safeguard the environment from pollution? The state governments are responsible for the health issues and deaths caused by the poison in the air.