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It’s official now: Centre blames Haryana, Punjab for Delhi smog
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 26
Punjab and Haryana may have given themselves a clean chit over allegations of being directly responsible for the hazardous smog that engulfed the Delhi region, but the Centre today clearly held the two states accountable for the 12-day “extreme pollution episode” on the basis of “scientific analysis” conducted by it.

Minister of Earth Sciences Jaipal Reddy told Parliament today that the reason for hazardous smog (between October 26 and November 8) as indicated by satellite imagery was the “short-range transport of smoke from Punjab and Haryana, which was directed toward the Delhi region due to favourable northerly winds as determined from back-trajectory analysis and air quality forecasting models”.

The government, he said, had conducted “scientific analysis” of the smog that enveloped many parts of North India and found that pollution due to burning of biomass and diesel-operated urban transport, aided by stable atmosphere were the reasons for the episode. “It was caused by a mix of man-made activities associated with field-level biomass burning supported by a favourable upwind natural phenomenon,” he added.

When the extent to which the practice of paddy straw burning in North was affecting the air quality was highlighted on the basis of satellite images released by NASA, Punjab said there was no scientific evidence to hold it responsible. Haryana criticised Delhi for blaming other states for “a mess that was its own creation”.