Farm fires contributed 23% in Delhi pollution on Tuesday, max so far: SAFAR

 The share of stubble burning in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution rose to 23 per cent on Tuesday, the maximum so far this season, according to a central government air quality monitoring agency.

It was 16 per cent on Monday, 19 per cent on Sunday and nine per cent on Saturday.

The number of farm fires in neighbouring states was 1,943 on Monday, the highest so far this season, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR.

"Stubble burning share in Delhi PM2.5 concentration was 23 per cent on Tuesday due to favourable transport-level wind direction and speed, it said.

However, Delhi's air quality improved marginally due to an increase in surface wind speed, SAFAR said.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the predominant wind direction was westerly-northwesterly and the maximum wind speed was 15 kilometres per hour. The minimum temperature was recorded at 14.4 degrees Celsius.

Calm winds and low temperatures trap pollutants close to the ground, while favourable wind speed helps in their dispersion.

The air quality index (AQI) is likely to improve slightly on Wednesday but pollution levels will rise again on Thursday, SAFAR said.

The city recorded a 24-hour average AQIof 312 on Tuesday. It was 353 on Monday, 349 on Sunday, 345 on Saturday and 366 on Friday.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate',201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'

Air pollution: Buy crop residue to check stubble burning, MP advises govt

The government should purchase crop residue as it procures wheat and paddy at minimum support price (MSP) to address the issue of stubble burning, one of the causes of air pollution, JD(U) MP Ram Nath Thakur suggested in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Raising the issue during the morning session, Thakur also expressed concern over the arrest of farmers in some states for stubble burning.

The government should buy crop residue in the same way it purchases wheat and rice from farmers at MSP, he said, adding that this will not only help in reducing pollution, but also provide financial relief to farmers. BJP member Vijay Pal Singh Tomar suggested that stubble can be used in manufacturing of ethanol.

He also said efforts should be made to ensure 10 to 15 per cent blending of ethanol with petrol, which will help in environment protection and saving foreign exchange. The government has mandated mixing of 10 per cent ethanol in petrol, but only about six per cent is being mixed currently.

Meanwhile, three Congress MPs demanded that the central government buy rice from Chhattisgarh.

Chhaya Verma, Motilal Vohra and P L Punia mentioned in the House that rice from the state is not being purchased for the central pool as Chhattisgarh is buying at a higher MSP of Rs 2,500 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 1,815 per quintal announced by the Union government.

The Centre should relax norms and buy the grains at the MSP announced by the state government as part of its goal to double farmers' income, they said. The Congress, which is in power in Chhattisgarh, had promised the higher MSP to boost farmers' income, according to them.

BJP's Shwait Malik said people living within the 5-km area from the India-Pakistan border in Punjab are facing problems in getting employment and education. He demanded a special fund to provide infrastructure, education and job opportunities to them. In his Zero Hour mention, A K Selvaraj of the AIADMK raised the issue of adulteration and contamination of food products.

Two TMC members Md Nadimul Haque and Manas Ranjan Bhunia highlighted the plight of people affected by Cyclone Bulbul and demanded that the central government extend help in providing relief to those affected.

DMK leader Tiruchi Siva suggested that Tamil should be made the official language of the Madras High Court.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu agreed with the suggestion, saying the language in high courts should be that of the state.

Another Congress member Mohd Ali Khan asked the central government to intervene so that the ongoing strike by employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) can be ended. In his mention in the House, Prasanna Acharya of the BJP expressed concern on incidents of acid attack on women. He termed such incidents as the most "heinous gender violence".

Tip-off Noida admin about stubble burning via WhatsApp, grab rewards

People in Noida and Greater Noida can now tip-off the district administration about stubble burning, inappropriate disposal or burning of waste material via Whatsapp and email, and also get rewarded Rs 1,000 for sharing such information, officials said on Saturday.

The information should be sent to the administration within 12 hours of the incident, they said.

People can now send pictures, date, location and names of offenders on WhatsApp number 9871428532 or email the information at dmgbnwarroom@gmail.com, the administration said, adding that the identity of informers would be kept confidential.

"The initiative has been started with immediate effect and aims at checking air and other forms of pollution. There have been reports of burning of waste, stubble and bursting of firecrackers recently amid a high level of pollution in the region. All these activities contribute to pollution," District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh said, according to an official statement.

"The WhatsApp number and the email id have been started because the fight against pollution needs to be fought by the administration and the people together," he added.

The administration said strict action would be taken against offenders and an FIR would be registered under provisions of the Environment Protection Act as well the Indian Penal Code.

"The informers would be rewarded with Rs 1,000 and their identity would be kept confidential," Singh said.