Anand Ranganathan on Delhi Air pollution, stubble burning, Diwali firecrackers, AQI & Supreme Court скачать в хорошем качестве

Anand Ranganathan on Delhi Air pollution, stubble burning, Diwali firecrackers, AQI & Supreme Court

#anandranganathan #diwali #airpollution #aqi #stubbleburning #supremecourt Anand Ranganathan begins by highlighting the alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi, which reached 418 before the Diwali firecracker season, far exceeding the safe AQI level of 30. He dismisses the notion that Diwali firecrackers are the primary cause, pointing instead to the ongoing practice of stubble burning in northern states as the dominant contributor to Delhi’s pollution. Ranganathan emphasizes the massive scale of stubble burning, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Madhya Pradesh (MP). Official figures report 1,000 farm fires early in the season, with UP contributing 452, Punjab 208, MP 187, and Haryana 30. Unofficial numbers are likely higher, as farmers in Punjab have learned to evade NASA satellite detection. During the stubble burning season, an area 12 times the size of Delhi (17,900 square kilometers) is set ablaze, burning 35 million tons of stubble. This releases 149 million tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 55% of India’s total CO2 emissions from transportation. Nationally, 98 million tons of stubble are burned annually, with UP (22%), Punjab (21%), Haryana (9%), Andhra Pradesh (5%), and West Bengal (5%) as major contributors. The financial burden of treating respiratory diseases and lost productivity due to pollution is 150 times higher than the cost of machines needed to manage stubble. Ranganathan suggests that 30,000 Happy Seeder machines, costing $70 million, could eliminate stubble burning, a fraction of the $1.3 billion spent on government advertisements in Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab over the past five years. Despite a 2020 Supreme Court order mandating an immediate stop to stubble burning, with threats to hold administrations accountable, Punjab recorded 6,700 farm fires the very next day, and Haryana recorded 364. He criticizes the lack of prosecution for farmers who burn stubble, describing India as a “banana republic” where political will is absent. He contrasts this with the Delhi government’s odd-even vehicle restriction scheme, which he deems ineffective, as vehicles contribute only 20% to Delhi’s pollution (with cars accounting for half of that). Stubble burning, on the other hand, contributes 40-50% during peak months. Ranganathan cites an IIT Kanpur study, accepted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), showing that the odd-even scheme addresses only 5% of pollution, leaving 95% of causative factors untouched. He notes that previous implementations of the scheme saw pollution levels increase due to external factors like weather and wind-blown pollutants, rendering the policy a “needle in a haystack” approach. Ranganathan accuses authorities of hypocrisy for banning firecrackers during Diwali while ignoring stubble burning and other pollution sources, such as tree-cutting during Christmas or fireworks during New Year celebrations. He argues that Diwali is unfairly singled out as a contributor to pollution, while stubble burning, a far larger issue, is overlooked. He acknowledges the harm caused by firecrackers, which release toxic substances like arsenic, mercury, cadmium, sulfur, lead, chromium, ozone, and perchlorates, which affect thyroid function and contribute to PM2.5 pollution. For example, specific firecrackers produce PM2.5 levels ranging from 9,490 to 64,500 mcg per cubic meter, far exceeding safe limits. He argues that firecrackers should be restricted to private, enclosed spaces to avoid harming others. Ranganathan stresses that while individuals have the right to personal choices, these should not harm others. He argues that both stubble burning and public firecracker use infringe on the rights of others by causing widespread health and environmental damage.