The Delhi High Court yesterday issued several directions to authorities of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh aiming to prevent air pollution arising out of crop burning..The Court had taken suo moto cognizance of Delhi’s air pollution problem in 2015 and has been examining the causes for excessive pollution in the city, while passing necessary orders from time to time..The Division Bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Sunil Gaur observed,.“The serious deterioration of air quality in the Capital and the National Capital Region (NCR) is a matter of grave public concern and the steps taken to improve air quality by various agencies, the subject matter of continuous oversight by this Court in this public interest litigation. .During the course of these proceedings it is established that one contributory major component to air pollution in Delhi during the months of October and March each year is the burning of agricultural waste, including plant residue/stubble while harvesting the Kharif and Rabi crops (stubble burning)..The emission of particulate matter from this stubble burning is beyond any acceptable human endurance, or danger levels.”.The Court further observed that considering the the Kharif crop is yet to be harvested, there is a strong likelihood that the burning of agricultural residue will be resorted to this season as well. The effects of such a practice would be traumatic for most people and catastrophic for some, the Court noted..The Court then issued the following directions:.All the States shall implement the respective notifications and directions issued by them under the Air Pollution Act banning the burning of crop residue/paddy straw strictly, in letter and in spirit.Reports of the prosecutions launched/implementations for preventing burning of agricultural waste will be filed in this Court every week.The State Governments are to issue directions/orders to all the companies/plants including biomass plants, cement plants and power generation plants and public undertakings involved in the manufacturing of boards and rough paper, to discharge their corporate social responsibility by collecting the crop residue from the fields of farmers by providing them with money as consideration for lifting the agricultural residue.The authorities of each State will strictly implement the Graded Response Action Plan issued under the Notification dated January 12, 2017.The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will obtain weekly reports from the Special Committees established by each of these States on the steps taken in the concerned States to prevent burning of agricultural waste/stubble.The Union of India will monitor the sites where agricultural waste is found to have been burnt by satellite tracking for monitoring/study of weather, i.e. update Satellite Imagery in terms of inputs from central ministries.This initiative which is being followed in these districts can be immediately replicated in other districts in the other States.The states concerned, especially those having locales where smog formation is most likely, are to inform members of the public, the protective measures to be taken by them to safeguard their health. These measures include, but are not confined to weather, smog/smoke forecasts, wherever particulate matter is likely to concentrate highest, any day, or during any part of any day, to appraise the populace and general public through electronic mass media appeals and broadcasts, the other preventive measures to be taken, such as availability of gas masks, etc, when the concentration levels are alarmingly high, making available suchprotective gear, in advance to those public personnel who are likely to be vulnerable, such as police, watch and ward staff, workers exposed to the elements, etc..The Court also ordered the Delhi government, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, local bodies of Delhi and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to file status reports with respect to the latest position regarding enhancement of capacity of waste-to-energy power plants, the provision for fresh sites to accommodate waste disposal through landfills etc. and the steps taken so far with respect to solid waste management and disposal..The Court listed the matter for October 16 so that the position regarding implementation of the directions is clear before Diwali while reiterating,.“We do not want another gas chamber.” .Read the order:
The Delhi High Court yesterday issued several directions to authorities of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh aiming to prevent air pollution arising out of crop burning..The Court had taken suo moto cognizance of Delhi’s air pollution problem in 2015 and has been examining the causes for excessive pollution in the city, while passing necessary orders from time to time..The Division Bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Sunil Gaur observed,.“The serious deterioration of air quality in the Capital and the National Capital Region (NCR) is a matter of grave public concern and the steps taken to improve air quality by various agencies, the subject matter of continuous oversight by this Court in this public interest litigation. .During the course of these proceedings it is established that one contributory major component to air pollution in Delhi during the months of October and March each year is the burning of agricultural waste, including plant residue/stubble while harvesting the Kharif and Rabi crops (stubble burning)..The emission of particulate matter from this stubble burning is beyond any acceptable human endurance, or danger levels.”.The Court further observed that considering the the Kharif crop is yet to be harvested, there is a strong likelihood that the burning of agricultural residue will be resorted to this season as well. The effects of such a practice would be traumatic for most people and catastrophic for some, the Court noted..The Court then issued the following directions:.All the States shall implement the respective notifications and directions issued by them under the Air Pollution Act banning the burning of crop residue/paddy straw strictly, in letter and in spirit.Reports of the prosecutions launched/implementations for preventing burning of agricultural waste will be filed in this Court every week.The State Governments are to issue directions/orders to all the companies/plants including biomass plants, cement plants and power generation plants and public undertakings involved in the manufacturing of boards and rough paper, to discharge their corporate social responsibility by collecting the crop residue from the fields of farmers by providing them with money as consideration for lifting the agricultural residue.The authorities of each State will strictly implement the Graded Response Action Plan issued under the Notification dated January 12, 2017.The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will obtain weekly reports from the Special Committees established by each of these States on the steps taken in the concerned States to prevent burning of agricultural waste/stubble.The Union of India will monitor the sites where agricultural waste is found to have been burnt by satellite tracking for monitoring/study of weather, i.e. update Satellite Imagery in terms of inputs from central ministries.This initiative which is being followed in these districts can be immediately replicated in other districts in the other States.The states concerned, especially those having locales where smog formation is most likely, are to inform members of the public, the protective measures to be taken by them to safeguard their health. These measures include, but are not confined to weather, smog/smoke forecasts, wherever particulate matter is likely to concentrate highest, any day, or during any part of any day, to appraise the populace and general public through electronic mass media appeals and broadcasts, the other preventive measures to be taken, such as availability of gas masks, etc, when the concentration levels are alarmingly high, making available suchprotective gear, in advance to those public personnel who are likely to be vulnerable, such as police, watch and ward staff, workers exposed to the elements, etc..The Court also ordered the Delhi government, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, local bodies of Delhi and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to file status reports with respect to the latest position regarding enhancement of capacity of waste-to-energy power plants, the provision for fresh sites to accommodate waste disposal through landfills etc. and the steps taken so far with respect to solid waste management and disposal..The Court listed the matter for October 16 so that the position regarding implementation of the directions is clear before Diwali while reiterating,.“We do not want another gas chamber.” .Read the order: