New Delhi [India], November 18 : Delhi Chief Minister Atishi criticized the central government for its lack of action on the issue of stubble burning, which she claimed has led to the severe rise in pollution and worsening air quality not only in the national capital but also around north India.
Taking to social media platform X, Atishi pointed out that cities in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi are facing severe pollution due to unchecked stubble burning. She noted that due to this, the entire north of India has been plunged into a medical emergency with children and the elderly struggling to breathe.
She emphasized that stubble burning has been a recurring issue for the past five years, yet the central government has failed to implement effective measures to address it.
"All of North India has been plunged into a medical emergency as stubble burning continues unchecked across the country. All cities across the country--in UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, MP and Delhi--are reeling under severe levels of pollution. And yet despite rising severity of stubble burning across India for last 5 years, the Central Govt has taken no concrete step to curb the same. All of North India is paying the price for this, especially children and elderly who are struggling to breathe," she said.
This came following the worsened air quality in Delhi as well as the national capital region on Monday, where the region had witnessed a thick blanket of smog. The air quality level plunged to 'severe plus' levels, and according to the Central Pollution Control Board, the Air Quality Index recorded at 7 am was 483 in the national capital.
During a press conference here today, the Delhi CM referred to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, which shows that air quality in cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Bikaner, Bhopal, Patna, and Lucknow was categorised between "Very Poor" and "Severe+," pointing out that the poor air quality is affecting residents' ability to breathe.
"Be it Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Bikaner, Bhopal, Patna, or Lucknow, today, AQI across the country is very poor, poor, severe, or severe+. Central Pollution Control Board releases data every day...Today, people across the country are unable to breathe," she said.
Atishi specifically addressed the issue of farm fires, noting that stubble burning is prevalent in states such as Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. She highlighted that Punjab, however, has made notable progress in reducing such incidents, referring to data where she stated that the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab has dropped significantly, from 71,300 in 2021 to 36,650 in 2022, and further to 8,404 in 2023.
"If you see the data on stubble burning and farm fires, be it in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, or Madhya Pradesh, you will see stubble burning happening everywhere. What is the Central government doing? If there is one state in this country that has brought down the incidents of stubble burning, it is Punjab. If you see the data, in 2021, a total of 71,300 incidents of fire were reported. Last year, it dropped to 36,650. This year, only 8,404 incidents have occurred in Punjab," she said.
In contrast, Atishi pointed out that other states have seen an increase in stubble burning and pointed at Uttar Pradesh, where the number of incidents rose by 60 per cent, from 1,533 in 2023 to 1,926 in 2024. She stated that Rajasthan also saw a rise in farm fires, from 430 incidents in 2020 to 1,926 in 2024. Atishi also cited data from Madhya Pradesh, where 9,600 incidents of stubble burning were reported between September 15 and November 17 this year.
"In UP, stubble-burning incidents have gone up by 60 per cent compared to last year. Last year 1533 farm fires occurred, and this year it increased to 1926. Stubble burning is happening in Rajasthan. In 2020, around 430 incidents of stubble burning occurred, and by 2024, it went up to 1926. The highest number of stubble-burning incidents in the country is taking place in Madhya Pradesh. The Centre's own data says that from 15th September to 17th November, 9,600 incidents of stubble burning have occurred in Madhya Pradesh," she said.
Atishi on Sunday announced that physical classes shall be discontinued for all students, apart from classes 10 and 12. The announcement came shortly after the implementation of GRAP-4 in Delhi-NCR from Monday.