Stubble burning continues in Punjab amid poor air quality in Delhi

As the air quality in the national capital was reported to be in ‘very poor’ category with a thin layer of smog, the stubble burning continued in parts of Punjab on Thursday.
Incidents of stubble burning were reported in a field in Bathinda.
Meanwhile, according to the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded in Delhi was 379, categorised as ‘very poor, as of 8 am on Thursday.
As of 8 am, according to the data of the CPCB, the AQI measured at Chandani Chowk was 338, IGI Airport (T3) was 370, ITO was 355, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was 354, RK Puram was 387, Okhla Phase 2 was 370, Patparganj was 381, Sonia Vihar was 394 and Aya Nagar was 359, categorized as ‘very poor’.
However, various places in Delhi are still in the cap of ‘severe’ category air pollution, as the AQI in Anand Vihar was 405, Ashok Vihar was 414, Bawana was 418, Dwarka Sector-8 was 401, Mundka was 413 and Wazirpur was 436.
However, Punjab recorded its highest single-day count of stubble-burning incidents this season on Monday, with 1,251 cases reported.
Data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) shows that the total number of farm fires in the state has reached 9,655 this year.
The surge underscores the ongoing challenge of stubble burning, a major contributor to air pollution in northern India. Monday’s figures surpassed the daily tallies of the past three years, with 701 incidents reported on the same day in 2022 and 637 in 2023.
In response to the alarming pollution levels, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implemented Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR starting on November 18. Stage IV of GRAP includes restrictions such as banning truck entry and suspending public construction projects.