(MENAFN- Live Mint) Aloke Bajpai, Chairman, Managing Director and Group CEO of Ixigo, on Sunday slammed the inadequate management to tackle air pollution in the national capital, and shared the GPT-5 estimate to prevent stubble burning.

Delhi's air quality worsened as weak winds trapped pollutants, raising the overall AQI to 366 in the "very poor" category with three monitoring stations recording readings above 400 in the“severe” category, Central Pollution Control Board data showed.

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In a post on X, Bajpai remarked,“It's the same story every year. My throat is sore and my head is groggy. The common man suffers with asthma and bronchitis cases, while those of us with a purifier in every room make social media noise.”

He further stated,“This can't be the price we pay collectively on the way to Viksit Bharat. How much capital will it need to give every farmer in Punjab and Haryana a Happy Seeder Machine that helps them plant wheat crops into the rice straw without burning the stubble? A GPT-5 estimate on this is 1000 crores. This, along with a complete ban on farm fires in these two states. We can't live with this forever, or it may lead to an exodus of talent and companies from this region.”

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

As the window for the Rabi crop, wheat, is very short after paddy harvest in October-November, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off crop residues.

What about cloud seeding?

New Delhi's attempt to tackle air pollution through cloud seeding appears to have yielded limited results, as scientists and activists express doubts about the method's effectiveness.

Cloud seeding, which involves dispersing particles like silver iodide or salt into clouds from aircraft to induce rainfall that can help wash away pollutants, was carried out by Delhi authorities in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.

The trials began last week using a Cessna aircraft over selected areas of the capital.

A day after the latest trial, levels of cancer-causing PM2.5 particles hit 323, more than 20 times the daily limits set by the World Health Organization. It will likely worsen further through the season.

At such levels, these pollutants can cause breathing discomfort, especially among people with lung or heart diseases, children and the elderly.

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Officials said that the initial efforts resulted in minimal rainfall due to insufficient cloud cover, reducing the potential impact of the experiment, as reported by AFP.

“This will never ever do the job, it's an illusion,” said Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental campaigner in Delhi, as reported by AFP.

“Only when we clean up sources of air pollution can we control it.”

A day after the latest trial, levels of cancer-causing PM2.5 particles hit 323, more than 20 times the daily limits set by the World Health Organization. It will likely worsen further through the season.

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However, two atmospheric scientists at IIT Delhi called the cloud seeding plan "another gimmick".

"It is a textbook case of science misapplied and ethics ignored," Shahzad Gani and Krishna Achutarao said in The Hindu.

Mohan George, from the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, said artificial rain was not the answer.“The levels of pollution will come back almost immediately as rain stops,” the scientist told AFP.

A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health last year estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution.

Cloud seeding, a technique developed in the 1940s, has been employed by several countries to induce rainfall, disperse fog, and alleviate drought conditions, though its success has been inconsistent.

For instance, China utilised cloud seeding ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in an effort to control weather conditions and ensure clear skies during the event.

What is the status of NCR?

Neighbouring cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) also reported "very poor" air quality -- Ghaziabad (351), Gurugram (357), Noida (348) and Greater Noida (340). Faridabad, however, recorded a“poor” AQI of 215.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi, the wind speed dropped below 8 kmph from the northwest direction during the evening and night hours, reducing the dispersion of pollutants.

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It added that a ventilation index lower than 6,000 m 2/s and wind speeds less than 10 kmph are unfavourable for pollutant dispersal.

The air quality is likely to remain in the“very poor” category till November 4, the AQEWS said.

Three monitoring stations in the city recorded“severe” air quality with readings above 400, with Wazirpur reporting the highest level at 413.

Another 28 stations registered“very poor” air quality with readings above 300, as per CPCB's Sameer app.

This can't be the price we pay collectively on the way to Viksit Bharat.

A ban on the entry of commercial goods vehicles not registered here and not compliant with BS-III or lower emission standards came into force in the national capital on November 1.

(With inputs from agencies)

Key Takeaways

• Severe air quality levels in Delhi are exacerbated by stubble burning in neighboring states.
• Cloud seeding has been criticized as an ineffective solution to air pollution.
• Investment in sustainable farming practices is essential to address the root causes of pollution.

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