Delhi pollution: Smoke intrusion from farm fires in Oct-Nov lowest in four years, says CSE
New Delhi, (PTI): Not only have the number of farm fires in Punjab and Haryana this season been the lowest since 2016, the national capital also witnessed the least smoke intrusion from stubble burning during October-November in four years, according to a Centre for Science and Environment analysis.
Analysis of data from SAFAR, the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecasting agency, shows that smoke from farm fires contributed to PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on 53 days this year, starting October 12.
The figure is lower than the previous three years when smoke intrusion was reported on 56-57 days but higher than the 2018 reading of 48 days.
The highest contribution this year was 34 per cent on November 3. Last year, the share of farm fires in Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution peaked to 48 per cent on November 7.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said stubble burning-related smokefall over Delhi depended on two major factors -- the number and intensity of farm fires and meteorological conditions conducive for the transportation of the smoke to the national capital.
This October-November, not only have the quantity and intensity of farm fires been comparatively lower but also the meteorological conditions less conducive for transport of the smoke, the green think tank said.
The CSE estimated that smoke from farm fires accounted for 4.1 tonnes of PM2.5 during October-November in Delhi. This is 37 per cent lower than 6.4 tonnes of PM2.5 from stubble burning last year and almost half the 2020 figure (8 tonnes).
The volume this year is also significantly lower than the 2019 figure (6.4 tonnes) -- an indicator of the meteorological help Delhi got as there were fewer farm fires in 2019.
According to the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Punjab, which accounts for the maximum cases of stubble burning every year, reported just 49,922 farm fires this season (September 15 to November 30) against 71,304 last year and 83,002 in 2020.
The agrarian state logged 50,738 incidents of stubble burning in 2019; 59,684 in 2018; 67,079 in 2017 and 1,02,379 in 2016.
Haryana logged 3,661 farm fires this season against 6,987 in 2021 and 4,202 in 2020. The neighbouring state saw 6,364 incidents of stubble burning in 2019; 9,225 in 2018; 13,085 in 2017 and 15,686 in 2016.
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MP: Man dives into dam water for reel shooting, missing
Guna (MP), Nov 17: A 20-year-old man went missing when he jumped into the water in a dam for the shooting of a social media reel in Madhya Pradesh's Guna district on Sunday, police said.
The incident occurred around 5 pm at Gopisagar Dam in Ruthiyai area, some 20 km from the district headquarters, an official said.
Dharnawada police station in-charge Prabhat Katare said Deepesh Lodha handed over his mobile phone to his friend Raj to shoot a reel as he dived into the water near the sluice gate of the reservoir, he said.
Lodha also told his friend that he knew swimming, the police official said.
However, the young man started drowning, prompting his friend to seek the help of the people in the vicinity, the official said.
After being alerted, police informed the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF), which launched a search to trace Lodha, the official said.
Phool Singh Banjara, a farmer, said his children alerted him that someone was in trouble in the dam. By the time he reached, Lodha was drowning and soon went missing, he said.
