Stubble burning share drops to 32%, no quick recovery expected

New Delhi: Stubble burning share in Delhi's pollution dropped to 32 per cent on Saturday as compared to 42 per cent on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR. The farm fire count in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand stood at 4,528 on Friday, which was the highest this season, the central government's Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said, adding that the city's air quality is likely to remain "severe" on Diwali as well.

Delhi's air quality deteriorated to 'severe' category on Saturday as Punjab and nearby regions recorded the highest number of stubble burning incidents this season, officials said.

Surface winds are forecasted to decrease on November 8 and 9. No quick recovery is expected unless a drastic reduction in fire counts takes place, it said.

PM10 levels in Delhi-NCR stood at 486 microgram per cubic meter (ug/m3), according to CPCB data.

It said the AQI is likely to remain in the "upper end of 'very poor' category on November 13 and 'severe' category on November 14

(Diwali)".

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum wind speed was 14 kilometres per hour on Friday and the minimum temperature 11.8 degrees Celsius.

Calm winds and low temperatures trap pollutants close to the ground, while favourable wind speed helps in their dispersion.

V K Soni, head of IMD's environment monitoring research centre, said, "A very large number of farm fires over Punjab is the primary reason for the severe air quality in the region."

Last year, the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's pollution had peaked to 44 per cent on November 1, according to SAFAR data.