Delhi's toxic air: Farm-fire fixation is a dangerous distraction
Focusing solely on stubble burning lets systemic failures off hook, while the city chokes
The obsession with farm fires as the overpowering culprits of Delhi’s air pollution crisis points to one thing. If citizens and media have the intent, they can ask the right questions. This focus includes prime-time shows analysing Nasa images of farms burning in Punjab and Haryana. It is however singular dimensional and therefore, flawed.
And as with any instance of selective emphasis long-term solutions remain subverted. To combat the poison in Delhi’s air many moving pieces need to come together including pinpointing the main causes and political intent, otherwise, the attention on residue burning is like applying a band-aid when nothing less than surgical intervention will work.
In India’s north, farmers harvest paddy crops from October through early November. Once done they clear the leftovers by burning them and preparing the land for the next sowing season. This cost and time-effective traditional practice is seeing a sustainable makeover, and reports of fires were significantly lower this year.
After the harvest leftover straw is packed into bales and sold. Farmers say if they make money from the stock, why should they burn it?
But the transition isn’t universal. The season’s highest, 1251 fires on a single day have been reported. There are allegations that Nasa satellite count isn’t the real picture as farmers circumvent it by burning their fields when satellites are not passing overhead. There could be some truth in it, but the ground reality is made up of much more.
Looking for a scapegoat
Punjab does not elect the BJP and since Narendra Modi’s ascent as prime minister, it has been discarded by the centre, with the state struggling for development. It is a magnet for those looking for a scapegoat without looking inward. Incidentally, Madhya Pradesh (with a BJP government) has reported the highest number of farm fires this year with almost 13,000 incidents reportedly between September and November.
Levels of toxicity this November were unprecedented even though Delhi takes pollution on its chin year after injurious year. Punjab despite the double whammy of being considered the epicentre of the farm fires and facing pollution from just across the border — Lahore like Delhi has been topping lists of infamy — does not record AQI levels anywhere close to that of the capital.
It is a fallacy that Delhi’s air will become clean and healthy once stubble burning ends. Experts point out that during a similar period last year, the average AQI in Delhi was 300. Once the fires ended and sowing for the next crop began, pollution levels were even higher through the winter months.
With external factors and local pollutants, answers are for all to see. Away from all talk of the neighbours, Delhi generates filthy air throughout the year with vehicular emissions, coal-fired thermal plants, and biomass burning for cooking keeping it on edge. Its blazing waste and towering landfills also contribute exponentially to making it a gas chamber.
Winds and summer heat allow for pollutants to disperse but as the weather turns, low wind, drop in temperatures and fog trap the lethal PM2.5 particles. Enter episodic issues of firecrackers during Diwali — India needs a yearlong ban on them — and stubble burning and an already compromised scene hits the circuit breaker. Even after these incidents come down and despite the implementation of GRAP stage IV measures the air in Delhi gasps in a shroud.
A study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) points out that thermal power plants in the national capital region produce 16 times more pollution than stubble burning. The Centre for Science and Environment says stubble burning causes only 8% of pollution in the national capital region between mid-October and early November when talk of farm fires escalates.
Instead, 1.8 crore vehicles on Delhi’s roads, predominantly two-wheelers and cars are at the base of the toxic pyramid, farm fires add a layer. Each tier of this pyramid needs a sustained solution and not at the expense of any.
India's pollution epidemic
Indian citizens are used to being short-changed and an AQI of 200 when Western nations shut down is considered clean. With levels not falling below 50 through the year, Delhi has not reported a single ‘good’ air day in 2024. China had a problem, and it fixed it.
In India, selective focus feeds the politicians and their blame game. As doctors get busy, the AAP government in Delhi is exploring cloud seeding which it had an entire year to work on. Once again, pollution measures are implemented only when the horse has bolted.
Yes, stubble burning is a problem and needs to be fixed, sooner rather than later. It further compromises the lives of the people of India’s capital and the farmers. But this panic over farm fires is exaggerated, it is just one scene in a five-act play. The country’s pollution epidemic needs a multipronged attack.
First, the overwhelming causes — which take us out of our comfort zone — need to be identified and acknowledged. For instance, how can we make politicians and civil society take public transport and last-mile connectivity issues seriously?
As it is, India’s air crisis shows a lack of political intent and accountability. In the absence of policy and coherence, how long can Delhi gasp breathlessly?