Photos: Pollution peaks in Delhi despite reduction in stubble burning

People perform yoga on a smoggy morning, at Lodhi Gardens in New Delhi. Delhi’s air slipped into the “very poor” category on Wednesday for the first time since July although the meteorological department said smoke from stubble burning in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana was not yet blowing into the city. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

Red dots indicate stubble burning in areas surrounding Delhi in this image released on October 15. NASA scientists reported fewer cases of farm fires in the region from September 25, when harvesting began in these states. Experts blame this dip in the capital’s air quality mainly on local factors such as construction and road dust, and garbage burning that need to be reined in urgently. (NASA FIRMS / PTI)

A motorist passes high rise buildings shrouded in heavy smog at Moti Nagar in New Delhi on Wednesday. System for Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) — the ministry of earth sciences’ weather and air quality monitoring system —showed that only 5% of the PM 2.5 levels recorded in Delhi came from stubble burning emissions on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Rajpath is shrouded in smog, curtaining Rashtrapati Bhawan in the background. PM 2.5 is the most critical pollutant in Delhi’s air. It can penetrate deep inside the lungs and affect public health adversely. The forecast shows that on Thursday and Friday too, the contribution from stubble burning in the neighbouring states will remain low at between 5% and 7%. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

In a move to reduce pollution levels, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday flagged off 40 water-sprinkling tankers (pictured), and two super-sucker, six suction-cum-jetting and four auto-mounted litter-picker machines. Dust — believed to be carried by winds from the deserts of Rajasthan to Delhi — remains one of the biggest causes of pollution in Delhi. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

A farmer sets stubble on fire in Punjab on October 13. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana traditionally set fire to the residual stalks to clear fields for the next sowing season after harvesting the last crop around this time of the year. Pollutants from stubble burning zones travel to Delhi only when the wind direction is westerly or north-westerly. IMD said the wind direction is likely to remain easterly for the next few days. (Sameer Sehgal / HT Photo)

A metro train moves as smog engulfs the city skyline, at Mayur Vihar in Delhi on October 17. Fires from stubble burning observed so far through satellite images are at the lowest level since 2013, said Hiren Jethva, research scientist, Universities Space Research Association (USRA) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre. (Mohd Zakir / HT Photo)

Ragpickers walk through a cloud of dust at Ghazipur dumping yard. The Haryana Pollution Control Board noted that when compared to 2018, cases of crop residue burning had gone down “marginally”, despite the harvest beginning early this year. In 2018, between September 25 and October 16, at last 1,250 cases of stubble burning had been reported. This year, only 1,217 cases were reported during the same period. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Smoke rises from a pile of garbage at Sonia Vihar in New Delhi.Experts insist that stubble burning was only one factor contributing to pollution in the capital. “Crop fires are episodic, it will happen for a month. Though stubble burning is a contributor, we need to remember that local contributors are the worst,” said Sunita Narain, a member of the Environment Protection (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA). (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)