Delhi air quality turns ‘hazardous’ as farm fires surge in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh

The air quality in Delhi has once again deteriorated, reaching hazardous levels, largely due to an increase in stubble burning. According to data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the contribution of residue burning to Delhi’s air pollution surged to 35.2% on November 1 from 27.6% the previous day, marking the highest level for this season.
This alarming rise highlighted the worsening impact of farm fires across key agricultural states including Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
Stubble burning, a common post-harvest practice, involves setting fire to crop residues to clear fields for the next sowing. While convenient for farmers, this method releases a significant amount of pollutants, including particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. When carried by northwesterly winds, these pollutants significantly deteriorate the air quality over northern India, and especially in Delhi.
The annual practice of crop burning has escalated significantly post-Diwali, contributing to an alarming rise in the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels across various districts in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi NCR.
On November 2, Delhi reported an AQI of 316, indicating hazardous air quality levels that pose serious health risks, especially to vulnerable groups. Ghaziabad recorded an even higher AQI of 330, while Ludhiana’s air quality was labelled as “very unhealthy” with an AQI of 339.
Punjab’s Amritsar emerged as one of the most affected regions, with an AQI of 368, signaling severe conditions that could worsen respiratory ailments in its population. Chandigarh registered a concerning AQI of 277, emphasising the widespread impact of the current crisis. Other districts such as Jind and Sriganganagar also reported high AQI levels of 337 and 333, respectively, underlining a broader environmental struggle in the region.
Satellite remote sensing has revealed a significant surge in residue burning events associated with rice harvests in six Indian states. On November 2, satellites detected 861 such incidents, with Punjab notably at the forefront, recording 379 cases.
The breakdown for the other states included 19 in Haryana, 87 in Uttar Pradesh, none in Delhi, 80 in Rajasthan, and 296 in Madhya Pradesh. This discovery underscored the ongoing challenge of stubble burning as a major environmental concern.
From September 15 to November 2, a total of 9,376 residue burning incidents were reported across these states.
Punjab led the figures with 3,916 incidents, highlighting its longstanding struggle with managing post-harvest waste. MP followed with 2,302 incidents, UP with 1,272, Rajasthan with 1,036, and Haryana with 838.
The data indicated a worrying trend, particularly with Punjab witnessing a sharp increase, reaching its seasonal highest with 587 cases on November 1, compared to 484 on Diwali, October 31. This significant rise over successive days points to urgent needs for intervention and effective management.
Similarly, Madhya Pradesh recorded its peak for the season with 296 incidents on November 2, a noticeable increase from 226 on November 1 and 145 on October 31. Key districts such as Sangrur, Firozpur, Taran Taran, and Amritsar in Punjab, and Sheopur, Raisen, and Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, are the most affected, signaling a need for targeted efforts to curb the practice.