Chandigarh: Many parts of Haryana on Saturday reported air quality indices in the ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ categories while it was ‘poor’ in parts of neighbouring Punjab. It reported 1,360 fresh stubble-burning incidents as farmers continued to burn crop residue. According to the Central Pollution Control Board data on Saturday evening, Fatehabad recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 464, followed by Faridabad at 439, Jind at 428, Kaithal 426, Hisar 425, Sonipat 414, Sirsa 414, Gurugram 410, Bahadurgarh 369, Kurukshetra 325, Rohtak 319 and Bhiwani 307.
Also Read: Exposure To Air Pollution Can Increase Blood Sugar Levels, Risks Of Type 2 Diabetes: Study
In Punjab, Bathinda reported an AQI of 385, followed by Ludhiana 301, Jalandhar 291, Mandi Gobindgarh 277, Amritsar 264, Khanna 265 and Patiala 247.
The joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, saw an AQI of 179. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
Meanwhile, with 1,360 new farm fires, the total number of stubble-burning incidents rose to 14,173 till Saturday, according to Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data.
The number of total stubble-burning incidents of 14,173 registered from September 15 till November 4 was 47 per cent less than 26,853 such cases in the corresponding period last year, as per the data.
Also Read: Kanpur’s Air Quality Deteriorates, Plunges Into ‘Poor’ Category, Affecting Residents’ Health
The state had reported 23,465 farm fires during the same period in 2021.
Out of 1,360 stubble-burning incidents reported on Saturday, Sangrur reported a maximum of 240 such cases, followed by 140 in Ferozepur, 120 in Mansa, 116 in Tarn Taran and 112 in Bathinda.
On the same day in 2021 and 2022, the state had seen 3,032 and 2,437 farm fires, respectively.
Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered one of the major reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November. As the window for wheat — a key Rabi crop — is very short after paddy harvest, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue for sowing of the next crop.
Also Read: India Is Reaching The Last Mile Through Health and Wellness Centres: Union Health Minister
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
