In the middle of high air pollution levels in Delhi, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Tuesday that the smoke generated by stubble burning by farmers in Punjab does not even reach the national capital. For the smoke to reach from Punjab to Delhi in 10 days, it requires wind blowing from north to south at 30 kmph, which will never happen, the CM said.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on November 17 attacked the Punjab government over stubble burning at a meeting of the North Zonal Council chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah in Faridabad.
Mann also pointed out that Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) had reached more than 400 even before the start of paddy harvesting in Punjab.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CM Bhagwant Mann said, “…Smoke from Punjab doesn’t even reach Delhi. To get smoke from Punjab to Delhi in 10 days requires a north-south wind of 30 kmph, which never happens… Smoke that travels to Delhi stays over Connaught Place! What a joke!”
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“It borders Delhi Haryana, Rajasthan and UP, plus Delhi itself.” pollution. Even before the rice harvest started in Punjab, Delhi’s AQI reached 400. 99% of the rice harvested in Punjab is sent across the country, rice is not even a staple food for the people of Punjab,” he added.
Air quality remains poor in Delhi
Delhi witnessed “very poor” air quality on Tuesday, with the AQI reaching 344. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that four monitoring stations registered pollution levels classified as “severe”.
Of the 37 monitoring stations across the capital, the four locations reporting “severe” air quality were Bawana (426), Wazirpur (412), Jahangirpuri (418) and Vivek Vihar (402).
Forecasts indicate that air quality is likely to remain in the “very poor” category for the next few days.
According to the CPCB classification scale, AQI is defined as: “good” (0-50), “satisfactory” (51-100), “moderate” (101-200), “poor” (201-300), “very poor” (301-400) and “severe” (401-5000).
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Delhi residents, students protest
Hundreds of Delhiites, including students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University (DU) and Jamia Millia Islamia, staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday. The protesters demanded immediate measures to improve the air quality in the capital, which has been consistently described as “very bad” since Diwali, with the AQI remaining above 300 for several days.
Demonstrators used industrial respirators as symbolic props and held placards, including one that read: “Delhi ICU mein hai, Govt kahan hai?” (Delhi is in intensive care, where is the government?). Several protesters pointed out that deteriorating air quality is seriously affecting daily life in northern India.
The action follows a similar public rally held at India Gate on November 9, where dozens of people, including parents and environmental activists, protested against the worsening air quality in the capital. Following the event, some protesters were subsequently detained by the Delhi Police, allegedly due to the absence of an official permit for the rally.
