On Sunday (October 24), AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal stirred the hornet’s test after he credited his government for supposedly improving the air quality in the National Capital.
He shared a news report, which claimed that Delhi has managed to get off the list of the most polluted cities in Asia. The Delhi Chief Minister attempted to hog the limelight for the same and declared that India’s National Capital was no more polluted.
“Some years back, Delhi was the most polluted city in the world. Not anymore! The people of Delhi worked very hard. Today, we have improved a lot. Whereas we have improved, it’s still a long way. We will continue working hard so that we find a place in the best cities in the world.
Some years back, Del was the most polluted city in the world. Not any more!
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 24, 2022
People of Del worked v hard. Today, we hv improved a lot. Whereas we hv improved, its still a long way. We will continue working hard so that we find a place in the best cities of the world. https://t.co/UTL18dEWP7
“We are committed to making Delhi the best city in the world,” Arvind Kejriwal continued.
We are committed to making Del the best city in the world https://t.co/qmadjHlfQ4
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 24, 2022
The Delhi Chief Minister then shared a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI) which said, “Delhi recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 265 on Sunday (October 24), which was lowest for the day before Diwali in seven years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. “
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 24, 2022
Arvind Kejriwal gave the impression to his supporters that the slight improvement in the air quality has been due to his efforts to contain air pollution. However, nothing can be further from the truth.
New Delhi had the highest annual PM 2.5 concentration among 107 regional capitals in 2021
Opindia had reported in March this year that New Delhi featured at the top of a list of 107 regional capital cities with the highest average annual PM2.5 concentration in 2021.
The revelation was made in the 2021 World Air Quality Report published by IQAir. The Swiss air quality technology company collected data from 6,745 cities, spread across 117 countries to prepare the report.
The air quality report pointed out that in 2021, India was home to 11 out of the 15 most polluted cities in South and Central Asia. During that period, PM2.5 levels in Delhi increased from 84 μg/m to 96.4 μg/m3.
In 2021, Delhi continued to feature at the top in air pollution levels as compared to other metropolitan cities such as Kolkata (59 μg/m3), Mumbai (46.4 μg/m3), Hyderabad (39.4 μg/m3), Bengaluru (29 μg/m3) and Chennai (25.2 μg/m3).
Stubble burning and how monsoon rains delayed the worsening of Delhi’s air quality
Like each year, farmers in the States of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been burning stubble from September onwards. So far, Punjab alone has accounted for a whopping 4598 incidents of farm fires.
According to the data compiled by the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS), farmers took a break from stubble burning between September 24 and September 29 this year.
“We saw a spell from September 24 to 29, when no fire counts were recorded. This was mainly due to rains in Punjab and the fields remained wet for the next few days, so that paddy stubble could not be burnt,” informed Professor VK Sehgal of CREAMS.
There is, however, no hope of immediate resolution of the problem. Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB)’s member secretary, Krunesh Garg, informed that it would 4-5 years for a complete cessation of stubble-burning activities. He said, “We may again see a spike in the activity from October 10 onwards or a little later than that.”
Due to the monsoon rains and delay in stubble burning activities, the air quality in Delhi was better off, unlike the previous years. And it has now come to light that 85% of the stubble is yet to be cleared out.
“Based on this harvesting pattern, we normally see farm fires peaking around October 26-27, and this year we may see a similar spike by the end of October. We are seeing a gradual increase in numbers over the last few days,” Professor Sehgal said.
This explains the improved air quality in Delhi so far, which is set to be worsened in days to come. And it has nothing to do with governmental intervention.
Misplaced priorities of the AAP government in Punjab
Despite the burning issue of farmer fires, the Punjab Assembly shelved the discussion on the topic. “The issue was not taken up as most of the sitting went into discussing the alleged usurping of SC scholarship funds to the tune of ₹64 crores by the previous Congress party government,” reported Hindustan Times on October 3.
Back in 2018, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal would blame the Punjab government for failing to control farm fires in the State. “If you see honestly, then there are just a few places of Haryana in it. In Punjab, stubble is being burnt in the entire area, especially Bathinda and Amritsar,” he had said then.
However, the same district of Amritsar is a major hotspot of farm fires under the AAP regime. Given that the Kejriwal government got lucky this time around due to monsoon rains, the Delhi CM has been browbeating about it on social media.
The average annual PM2.5 level in the National Capital of India was 96.4 μg/m3 in 2021, which is about 19 times higher than the WHO’s recommended air quality guideline.
Despite this, air pollution in Delhi is a non-issue in both public and political discourse until the festival of Diwali in late September-October each year.
A 2017 IIT-Kanpur report had revealed that construction dust was the biggest culprit for deteriorating air quality in Delhi, followed by vehicular pollution and bad infrastructure.
Politicians and the left-liberal ecosystem channelise their energy into shaming Hindus for burning firecrackers while remaining indifferent to the major contributors of air pollution.
