Punjab Govt claims farm fires down, aerosol level remains high

While the government is claiming a considerable decline in the number of farm fires as compared to previous years, experts have found that the presence of aerosols remains the same as previous years.

Aerosol loading is the amount of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air, such as dust, smoke and haze. These particles can be natural or man-made and can have a significant impact on health.

Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, Professor of Environment Health, Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, who is also a Nodal Faculty Officer at the Centre of Excellence on Climate Change and Air Pollution Related-Illness Programme of the Health Ministry said, “Aerosols can cause respiratory issues, especially for people with pre-existing conditions. They can also travel long distances, carrying pollutants, bacteria and viruses.”

Khaiwal said, “Stubble burning is one of the major contributory factories, if not the main cause, behind the rising volume of pollutants.”

“During this time of the year, the atmospheric boundary layer reduces from 1,200-13,000 feet to 500-600 feet. The average wind speed hovers around 2 km per hour. Major farming operations, including harvesting of paddy and preparing fields for the next crop, also take place during this period. Due to dry weather, the soil also remains loose, which adds to dust pollution. To top it all, the burning of residue, especially during the evening, adds to the spike in pollution level,” said Dr Khaiwal.

“According to statistics, farm fires are down by over 60 per cent than last year, but while returning from Bathinda to Chandigarh, I spotted farm fires at least at 25 locations in the evening. So, I believe that the data needs to be revisited for analysis as many such incidents may go undetected by the satellite,” Khaiwal said.

Dr Hiren Jethva, a senior research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre who is affiliated with Morgan State University, has written on his X handle that while the downward trend has been drastic in 2022, 2023 and 2024, aerosol loading, or pollutants, in the atmosphere have increased or remained near stable compared to previous years.

730 straw burning incidents in a day

• The state reported 730 incidents of stubble burning on Friday, thus taking the total tally to 6,029
• Sangrur reported the maximum 163 incidents, followed by Ferozepur (121), Bathinda (80), Muktsar (64), Mansa (62) and Moga (48)
• On November 1, a day after Diwali, the state had reported 587 stubble burning incidents
• The latest spike comes a day after the Centre decided to double the penalty under Environmental Protection Act