Farm fires are lit, Super El Nino to tell on winter rain & pollution

…on Nov 8, when winter conditions begin to set in. Gufran Beig, founder of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) and chair professor at National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), said: “ We are facing a Super El Nino, which is unprecedented for this century. The temperature of the Pacific Ocean has already increased over 3 degrees Celsius. It will lead to fewer western disturbances, which usually bring rain to Delhi and wash out pollutants for a temporary period. Hence, there will be more intrusion. ” Beig said winter this year is expected to be mild as temperatures are unlikely to dip too much, causing the boundary layer height to remain higher for longer and resulting in less trapping of pollutants. “At the same…

…of stubble burning was above 20% on 14 days in 2024, according to the data of Decision Support System. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, at Centre for Science and Environment, said: “ The stubble burning trend will depend on the effectiveness of enforcement and, more importantly, on-ground preparedness for in-situ residue management and ex-situ absorption of crop waste for industrial purposes. ” She added that although there is an overall downward trend in crop burning incidents, solutions must be operationalised widely and effectively to nearly eliminate the problem. Punjab reported 5,114 farm fires last…