As is the case every year, while Delhi’s air quality has started deteriorating in November, the air in Punjab, especially Gurdaspur, has been recorded as three times cleaner than Delhi’s. According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), Gurdaspur’s AQI was 86 this evening, while Delhi’s was three times higher. This clearly indicates that the pollution in Punjab’s districts is not related to Delhi’s poor air quality. This year, there has been a significant reduction in cases of farmers burning stubble in the fields. Far fewer farmers have burned crop residue in their fields compared to previous years.
Despite this, the rising pollution levels in Delhi’s air suggest that other factors are responsible for the air pollution there. In Gurdaspur and surrounding areas, the AQI has remained stable between 80 and 100 for the past several days, indicating that there is no serious pollution problem here. Although this index may increase slightly in the coming days due to increased humidity and dust particles in the atmosphere, Gurdaspur’s air remains significantly better than Delhi’s.
Stubble Burning Situation in Gurdaspur
In Gurdaspur district, only 79 cases of field fires have been reported so far this year. In contrast, 173 cases were recorded by November 10th in 2024 and 368 cases during the same period in 2023. This year, a 57 percent reduction in stubble burning incidents has been recorded.
Situation in Other Parts of Punjab
By the evening of November 10th, 4195 cases of stubble burning were recorded across Punjab this year, compared to 6611 in 2024 and 23626 in 2023. This decrease is proof that the efforts of the Punjab government and the agriculture department to prevent the burning of crop residue in the fields have been successful. A large number of farmers have disposed of crop residue without burning it.
