Come Winters – Annual Delhi’s Gas Chamber Fraudmongering?

(Victim of Chronic Asthma for 20 Years whilst serving in the North)

Come October-November and Winters, media sensationalises ``Gas Chamber Fraudmongering '' not only by Delhi but also Punjab and Haryana political leaders over the past many years.

Leading the pack is Arvind Kejriwal with his now abandoned "Odd-even" imposition of vehicles. Unfortunately it is that political leaders and their spokespersons, like headless chickens, shout hoarse and indulge in blame games over the air pollution not only in Delhi but also in the Indo-Gangetic plain to include Punjab-Haryana-Western UP and even Pakistan’s Punjab.

Media and political leaders cry hoarse over “Hay/stubble” burning as the main cause. But, it is an insignificant part of the problem. There are exhaustive studies on "Air Pollution" available, who have identified the main sources to include vehicle (12 millions) exhaust emissions, heavy industry such as power generation by Bhadrapur Thermal Plant contributing to 80 to 90% of the particulate matter pollution,, small-scale industries like brick kilns, suspended dust on the roads due to vehicle movement and construction activities, wood-burning fires, cow dung cake combustion, open waste/garbage burning (Bhalswa landfill fires), combustion of fuels for cooking, lighting, and heating, Heavy metal-rich fire-crackers, and so on.

As per IIT, Kanpur 2015 Study Report and other studies, the causes of air pollution in NCR were identified as given below in the charts:

Add to them other reasons contributing to air pollution to include: human emissions (galloping increase in NCR population from barely 17 lakhs in 1951 to over 134 lakhs as of May 2020 - carbon dioxide during respiration); hazardous gases emitted by ammonia used extensively in agriculture, besides insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers; carbon dioxide emissions from green cover; domestic use of air conditioners and refrigerators; cattle release methane during digestion; and pre-monsoon dust storms.

The NCR generates 10,000 tons per day of municipal solid waste, much of which is eventually burned, adding particulate pollution to the air. Waste segregation, decentralised treatment and informal sector participation of waste pickers have already been mandated in the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, but their implementation has been an uphill task

And, the proposal for creation of waste management infrastructure particularly waste segregation and recycling by local bodies and utilising portions of large parks for composting and bio-methanation of wet waste (200 tons per day for every five lakh population) at community level is yet to fructify in Delhi.

Next, from April to May and October to November each year, farmers mainly in Punjab and Haryana burn an estimated 35 million tons of crop waste from their paddy fields. Smoke from this burning produces what has been described as a "toxic cloud" in New Delhi, resulting in declarations of an air-pollution emergency.

Although harvesters such as the Indian-manufactured "Happy Seeder" that shred the crop residues into small pieces and uniformly spread them across the field are available as an alternative to burning the crops, some farmers complain that the cost of these machines is a significant financial burden.

Ipso facto, Hay/Stubble burning is as good as burning money. So what if labor or "Happy Seeders" are not available/affordable for cutting “stubble”? Indigenous technology is also available at affordable costs to cut and compress crop residues into bales for use as animal feed.

“Hay/stubble” - grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants - can be profitably used for a variety of purposes like as animal fodder, particularly for grazing animals such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Quite often in past, media reports had been highlighting the plight of animals in “Drought Affected” areas. Also, one can see animals eating paper and plastic in cities.

Most important, there are several types of indigenous farm machinery (Hay Baler) available at costs varying between Rs.2 to 11 lakhs to cut, collect and compress crops (hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales.

Farmers, who use high-cost “Harvesters” farm machinery, can also use low-cost baler machinery to avoid “stubble burning”. And, the baler equipment must be made available at subsidized rates. The most common type of baler today is the round baler that produces "round" or "rolled" bales.

Yet another high value usage of “Stubble/Hay” is to convert it into organic compost for agriculture and domestic gardening usage by three methods like aerobic (use oxygen and bacteria), anaerobic (natural process in landfills – not recommended as it produces bad smell) and windrow composting (efficient).

Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's Chief Minister, appears endlessly on TV ads highlighting that Delhi government has found a solution to the stubble burning menace and tested a solution developed by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in Pusa that dissolves the residual stubble in farm lands to turn them into manure. Since he is on pre-election campaign mode in Punjab, why is he not propagating the same to Punjab farmers. As part of poll promise gimmicks, Kejriwal can announce 75% subsidies for purchasing "Balers/Happy Seeders". Since he hails from Haryana, he can extend the same to Haryana farmers!

Furthermore, there are varieties of methods to convert crop residues into compost and gardening etc. Also, handicrafts are produced.

In retrospect, media sensationalism and political blame games for the smog over Delhi and surrounding areas smacks of intellectual bankruptcy. Let me define the root causes of air pollution. As per media reports, 20% of air pollution over Delhi is due to stubble burning from agricultural lands of neighboring states. What about the rest of 80%?

Whilst serving in Punjab in early 1972, I experienced for the first time the adverse effects of “air pollution” due to surface inversion compounded by ‘fog or smog’ and dust storms known as “Loo”. Their currents used to originate from across the border in Pakistan opposite Ferozepur-Bathinda.

Furthermore, the farmers in Punjab and Haryana used to burn their residual hay after harvesting due to the introduction of “Mechanized Farming” with the “Suratgarh Mechanized Model Farm” introducing it on a large scale.

The trouble with even the scientists is that they have not analyzed air pollution in the Indo-Gangetic plain from a holistic angle. Most importantly, people must also first understand “Nature’s” phenomena before behaving like headless chickens. They can’t go against “Nature’s” seasonal visitations like effect of temperature inversions. Air flow patterns from Afghanistan and Pakistan pick up emissions as they move over the densely urbanized regions of Punjab and Haryana.

“Inversion” is the name of ‘Natures’ cycle annually. Inversion phenomenon occurs with the heralding of the winter season. There is no escape from it. Its effects can only be minimized if people are serious about containing it. What are temperature inversions? There are two types of temperature inversions: surface inversions that occur near the Earth’s surface, and aloft inversions that occur higher above the ground.

Since the nights in the winter season are longer, surface inversions are stronger and more common. So, conditions favor the development of a strong surface inversion due to calm winds, clear skies, and long nights. The warm air above cooler air acts like a lid, suppressing vertical mixing and trapping the cooler air at the surface.

Once the sun goes down, the ground loses heat very quickly, and this cools the air that is in contact with the ground. It results in cooling of air near the ground at night, surface inversions form. During the daylight hours, surface inversions normally weaken and disappear as the sun warms the Earth’s surface, ie, after around 9 or sometimes even 10 A.M.

As pollutants from vehicles, fireplaces, and industry are emitted into the air, the inversion traps these pollutants near the ground, leading to poor air quality. A strong inversion will confine pollutants to a shallow vertical layer, leading to high pollution levels, while a weak inversion will lead to lower levels.

The Ozone layer considered crucial for the existence of the ecosystems on the planet is depleting due to increased pollution. Global warming, a direct result of the increased imbalance of gases in the atmosphere, has come to be known as the biggest threat and challenge that the contemporary world has to overcome in a bid for survival.

Even the Supreme Court appointed former Justice M. Lokur as one-man Commission in October 2020 to review the issue and submit recommendation to address the “Stubble Burning” in Punjab, Haryana, Western UP and NCR and also to monitor. What does it reflect? Intellectual bankruptcy of the worst order. How can a former judge by himself comment on a whole range of causes resulting in dangerous levels of air pollution resulting in over 10,000 deaths per year in Delhi alone?

Be that as it may, Justice Lokur's Report has not been widely disseminated, if submitted.

Instead of addressing the issue in a holistic manner, Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of New Delhi (known as Muffler Man), first played to the gallery by imposing an “Odd-Even” rule for vehicle usage. After 3 years, now he is voicing his concern about “stubble burning” in Punjab and Haryana.

Municipal waste – garbage – can also be profitable to produce both compost manure and even energy. Waste-to-Energy, also widely recognized by its acronym WtE, is the generation of energy in the form of heat or electricity from waste. (The process is also called Energy from waste to EfW). Using developing technology, these various methods aim to compress and dispose of waste, while attempting the generation of energy from them.

Finally, people should be encouraged to use public transport (green vehicles, metro rail etc). For those using their own vehicles, parking charges must be enhanced to dissuade them from using their own vehicles.

Finally, the levels of ‘smog’ and air pollution can only be addressed on a “Holistic” basis in cooperative and constructive manner at the political level – Central Government in conjunction with the State governments of Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Delhi. Policies and strategies to mitigate or reduce pollution levels must not only be formulated but implemented effectively including construction activities and vehicle explosion.

Also, it must be addressed at the bi-lateral level with Pakistan. Otherwise, it would remain a vexatious health hazard on a recurring and repetitive annual basis. And, political blame games will continue accentuated by media sensationalism with utter disregard to human lives - over 10,000 per annum.