CHANDIGARH: The School of Public Health at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education Research (PGIMER) and Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) will conduct an assessment of the status of air pollution on burning of Kharif crop residue in seven cities of Haryana and Punjab from March 20 onwards.Experts will travel in a van equipped with weather sensors and related monitoring gadgets to Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana and Amritsar in Punjab and Sirsa, Rohtak and Murthal in Haryana. Chandigarh, the capital of both states, will also feature in the list of cities covered under this project.Gufran Beig, scientist with IITM and project director, SAFA, told TOI, “Both PGIMER and IITM conducted the same exercise in these seven cities in November-December 2017 with regard to the Rabi crop residue. After collecting data on pollutant emissions at that time from Rabi crop residue burning across the twin states in winter season, we will now assess the outcome in case of kharif crop residue burning in summer as well, and draw comparisons. The results will help in preparing a comprehensive report, on the baseline data, extent of impact on air pollution and probable solutions. It will of course be made public later.”Beig explained that contrary to rabi crop wherein the farmer gets long sowing window between harvesting paddy and planting wheat, there is a shorter sowing window in the kharif season, following wheat harvesting. There might also be a greater quantity of residue to dispose of. That is why there is apprehension that farmers may give in to the quicker method of residue disposal, which is burning, instead of more time-consuming techniques. That may aggravate the pollution crisis in Delhi, which is highly vulnerable to the impact of this residue burning since it is land locked from all sides.Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, additional professor of environment health in School of Public Health Department in PGIMER, said, “There are a number of mitigation options to reduce air pollution and climate change by transforming crop residue into useful products. Residue can be used for briquetting (creating combustible biomass material), as fodder, improving soil fertility, or as raw material in the paper or cosmetics industry. It can be changed into packing material and also put to use in construction and handicrafts.”Khaiwal, who co-authored a study titled ‘Emissions of air pollutants from primary crop residue burning in India and their mitigation strategies for cleaner emissions,’ said his estimate is that if fires from stubble continued as they are, there will be a 150-time rise in emission of pollutants.His study found that in India, 488 metric tonnes of total crop residue was generated during 2017 and about 24% of it was burnt in the fields. This was the first such inventory on crop residue burning emissions.

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