Delhi pollution: No study that crop residue burning impacts air quality

New Delhi: There is no conclusive study available that burning of paddy straw or crop residue in states like Punjab and Haryana would always impact air quality in Delhi and Rajasthan, Parliament was told on Tuesday.

"As per the Report of IIT Kanpur, the back trajectory analyses suggest that the crop residue burning and other biomass emissions may be transported to the national capital from the sources upwind of Delhi," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Dave also told the house that to curb pollution in Delhi, burning of paddy stubble has been banned in its neighbouring states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

He said that Delhi High Court has assigned the responsibility of prevention of stubble burning and biomass on the Chief Secretaries of the state governments, which have initiated steps for compliance.

"Available satellite images indicate that the enforcement of ban on paddy stubble burning in farmlands of Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh has not been fully implemented and there has been significant level of stubble burning. 

"Government has been monitoring various preventive measures to curb the burning of paddy stubble/crops residue and check the pollution level in Delhi and NCR at regular intervals," Dave added.