But the major culprit for the spike in pollution and the smoky plume over Delhi and the region this time of the year remains stubble burning. Forget odd-even days, even if all the vehicles in Delhi stop plying and emissions from all the industries cease, the air will still be foul. Just consider the number of fires that are lit during a fortnight in Punjab and Haryana – 25,000 plus. The two states produce nearly half of the straw produced in the entire country and half of this is burnt on field.
The result: release in massive amounts of nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, ammonia, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and suspended particulate matter. The deadly cocktail is enough to make human lungs and respiratory system sick and exacerbate conditions like heart disease and asthma.