According to a senior government official, the purpose of the appeal was to ensure that the Commission for Air Quality Management's directives against stubble burning was strictly followed. He further said that no local cases had been reported as of yet.
On Wednesday, the district administration also announced the formation of teams at various levels to combat stubble burning in the district.
Due to the short period between rice harvest and wheat sowing, farmers burn paddy crop residue to prepare the land for wheat sowing. Various studies have shown large-scale straw burning as a key contributor to pollution in north India, particularly Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), resulting in public health and environmental problems.
Nishant Yadav, Deputy commissioner of Gurugram, said “I urge farmers in the district not to burn crop residue since it causes substantial pollution and harms the green cover and animal population, in addition to impacting the public. we have created teams to ensure that vigilance is maintained, and anyone who violate these orders will face a penalty."
A farmer who is caught burning crop residue will be fined Rs.2,500 per acre, according to district administration guidelines. Yadav stated that the pollution control department has been given instructions, and teams have been formed at the village, block, district, and division levels to monitor activity and respond quickly if any instances are found.
He further said that farmers are being given equipment and machinery at a reduced cost to handle crop residue and that they should take advantage of these resources.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality index (AQI) in Gurugram fell to 120, or "moderate," on Wednesday, AQI of 58, which was at the " satisfactory " level on Tuesday. Prior to that, the AQI had remained " good " for four days due to heavy and continuous rain and high wind speeds.
According to Sachin Panwar, a city-based air quality expert, the wind speed decreased on Wednesday, affecting the dispersal of pollutants. Since the amount of moisture in the air is also high, that leads to rises in the pollution level. "The air quality will deteriorate further in the next few days and move to the poor category due to low wind speed and mixing height. After October 15, the AQI is going to get worse as farm fires in Punjab and Haryana pick up and damage air quality," he said.
Met experts also said there will be a slight dip in temperature in the coming days, which will also ensure that pollutants don’t get dispersed.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported shallow to moderate fog in isolated pockets over Delhi-NCR and eastern Uttar Pradesh in the morning hours on Wednesday.
Fog was reported in Gurugram for the first time this season, however, it dissipated before 9.30 a.m. Residents near open areas of the city reported poor visibility in the early hours of Wednesday. According to the IMD, dry weather will dominate in most parts of northwest India from Thursday.
