Stubble Burning Down By 90% In Punjab, Haryana, Centre Informs Parliament

The Centre on Monday informed the Parliament of a 90 per cent reduction in stubble burning incidents across Punjab and Haryana during the 2025 paddy harvesting season as compared to 2022, even as air pollution levels continue to choke the citizens of Delhi-NCR.

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav responded to Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi's question by stating that while farm fires remain an episodic contributor to winter pollution, Delhi's air quality is influenced by multiple factors, including vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, construction dust, waste burning, and adverse weather conditions.

Despite seasonal pollution spikes, Delhi has recorded its best average AQI levels in eight years, with the number of "good" air quality days rising to 200 in 2025, up from 110 in 2016. The number of "very poor" and "severe" days has also reduced from 71 in 2024 to 50 in 2025.

The Centre credited a series of coordinated measures for the sharp drop in farm fires, including distribution of over 2.6 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines, rent-free CRM access for small farmers, mandated use of paddy-straw biomass pellets in brick kilns, and strict action against officials failing to curb stubble burning.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has also directed the governments of Punjab and Haryana to mandate the use of paddy straw-based biomass pellets or briquettes in all brick kilns located outside the NCR districts. Officials said the move aims to create large-scale demand for crop residue, providing farmers with an alternative to burning and helping eliminate open-field stubble burning.

Thirty-one CPCB flying squads were deployed across hotspot districts in Punjab and Haryana this season to monitor violations.

The government said it continues to hold regular high-level review meetings to strengthen pollution control efforts ahead of the winter months.

Delhi's air quality plunged once again into the "very poor" category after a brief respite on Sunday. The national capital records an AQI of 269 on Sunday, but the situation quickly worsens as toxic smog envelopes the city and the AQI crosses the 300 mark on Monday.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday demands a detailed discussion in the House on the issue of air pollution in the national capital, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on what he calls a "health emergency".

Gandhi also held a discussion with several women at his residence on Delhi's pollution crisis and shared the video on X, seeking the PM Modi's intervention to address the deteriorating air quality. "Every mother I meet tells me the same thing: her child is growing up breathing toxic air. They are exhausted, scared and angry. Modi ji, India's children are choking in front of us. How can you stay silent? Why does your government show no urgency, no plan, no accountability?" he asks.