The Supreme Court of India has ordered states around New Delhi to restrict farmers from burning crop leftovers owing to air pollution. The court has granted similar orders, but state officials’ incapacity to control burning despite fines and farmers’ antagonism limits their influence…
Indian Supreme Court ordered officials in the states surrounding New Delhi to restrict farmers from burning agricultural residue on Tuesday as smog in the world’s most polluted capital reached dangerous levels during the previous week.
Before winter, calm and cold breezes trap pollutants from automobiles, industry, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning, lowering air quality.
Previous court decisions have had little effect since state authorities report inability to control burning despite fines and farmers’ resentment toward officials. Delhi has paused local building, closed elementary schools till Nov. 10, and will restrict car use next week to reduce pollution, but it wants neighboring states to curb crop waste burning.
Swiss group IQAir classified the real-time air quality index at 306 as ‘hazardous’ at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
“We direct Punjab and adjacent states to Delhi—Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh—to stop crop (residue) burning immediately,” Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul stated.
After harvesting rice in late October or early November, Punjab and Haryana farmers burn crop residue to clean their fields before sowing wheat.
According to the federal government’s air-quality monitoring organization SAFAR, the practice has been repeated for years and contributes 30–40% of Delhi’s October–November pollution.
Farmers have received subsidies on better harvesting machinery and stubble decomposers from the federal and state governments to help them understand the risks of the practice, which has decreased but remains a big issue.
Justice Kaul ordered the local police station in-charge to enforce the court’s orders under the states’ chief secretary.
The court also advised a gradual transfer from paddy to less water-intensive crops. “The switch-over can only occur if the minimum support price is not granted for paddy but is given with an alternative crop – something which the (federal) government is already seeking to encourage,” Kaul added.
Conclusion
Due to dangerous air quality in New Delhi, the Supreme Court of India has again ordered states around the capital to restrict farmers from burning agricultural residue. The court has issued similar orders before, but state officials’ incapacity to regulate the burning and farmers’ resistance have restricted their impact.
The court ordered Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh to stop agricultural residue burning immediately. The local police station in-charge, under the states’ chief secretary, must also enforce the court’s orders.
The court also recommends a gradual move from rice to less water-intensive crops. The court said the switch-over can only happen if the minimum support price is offered to an alternate crop instead of paddy.
The court’s latest order may be more effective than its prior ones. However, the order shows that the court is serious about tackling Delhi’s air pollution problem and willing to take harsh action to protect inhabitants’ health.
