Delhi's air quality dips as Punjab farmers continue stubble burning

Amritsar (Punjab) [India], October 14 : Despite increasing concerns regarding air pollution in the national capital, farmers in Amritsar's Wadala Johal village on Wednesday continued to burn stubble in their fields.
According to Ranjeet Singh, a farmer, they were burning crops due to compulsion as the government did not give subsidies for alternate methods.
"The government is cheating farmers and playing politics over stubble. Farmers are burning crop residue out of compulsion, not because we like this smoke. Our children are also breathing this air. If the government gives us subsidy as per National Green Tribunal provisions, no farmer will burn stubble," Singh told ANI.
The air quality in Delhi further deteriorated on Wednesday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) was reported at 275 in Delhi's ITO and Anand Vihar, 263 in Rohini, and 229 in Nehru Nagar, all in the "poor" category, according to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday kick-started the sprinkling of the bio-decomposer solution, prepared by Pusa Research Institute in a field at Hiranki Village in Narela area of the national capital to combat the persisting issue.
The process aims to convert stubble into compost and help in doing away with the practice of burning it.