Principal Secretary To PM Calls For Crop Residue Management To Combat NCR Air Pollution
Date
10/13/2023 2:02:26 PM
(MENAFN- Live Mint) "New Delhi: During a high-level task force meeting held at the prime minister's office, principal secretary to PM, PK Mishra, emphasized in-situ management of paddy stubble through Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines and the deployment of bio-decomposers to combat deteriorating air quality as the national capital region prepares for the winter meeting, which primarily focused on mitigating air pollution in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), highlighted the concern of stubble burning, a practice widely adopted by farmers in northern states including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The principal secretary urged close surveillance by chief secretaries of these states and tasked the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) with refining the technology resort to stubble burning as a way of clearing paddy crop residues from the field to sow winter crops, such as wheat, from the last week of September to November, coinciding with the withdrawal of southwest monsoon. This leads heightened air pollution in the NCR.
Mishra also spotlighted ex-situ management, underscoring the potential economic benefits of paddy straw and the necessity for storage and infrastructure developments for its efficient use. The meeting explored the importance of co-firing biomass in thermal power plants, targeting mainly paddy straw other pollution sources, Mishra reviewed ongoing measures against industrial, vehicular, and construction-generated pollution, as well as waste burning and other dispersed sources. The Graded Response Action Plan's (GRAP) rigorous execution was emphasized upon as essential to prevent the worsening of air quality.M. M. Kutty, chairman, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), shared progress on industry transitions to cleaner fuels in the NCR. He indicated the rise in e-vehicles, highlighting the addition of charging stations in the region Delhi's air quality registering \"poor\" at 256, Friday's discussions epitomized the urgency of the situation. The comprehensive plan deliberated on included biomass pellet procurement, gas infrastructure expansion in NCR by FY24, and a stricter push for outdated vehicle replacement and GRAP enforcement.
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