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Cse In News

Cse In News

Warnings from a Warming Himalayas

As I write this, over 1,300 lives are confirmed lost and many thousands are still missing in the floods in Nepal, as the mighty Himalayas came down as rubble. This is an enormous and painful human tragedy, but it is also about wilful actions and inactions of humans. It is about our mindset, the belief that we can re-engineer everything; that we are in control of the universe and all things in it. This is on us. Let me break this down. What happened in Nepal on August 26? The images are of the mountain coming down as the flash flood and massive quantity of debris buried everything in its path. We know now that this flash flood was not caused by an extreme cloudburst. It was triggered by the collapse of a high-altitude glacier near the Langtang Lirung peak. An estimated 142 million cubic metres of ice and rocks were dislodged, creating a 5.2 magnitude seismic event. This led to the formation of natural dams, behind which water and moraine accumulated. When the dams broke, they unleashed devastating floods downstream.

Monsoon cleans up air, but emissions beatit, shows CSE study

New Delhi: Monsoon rain may offer Delhi temporary relief from air pollution, but it can’t stop emissions driving the city’s poor air quality, states a study by Centre for Science and Environment. Monsoon: Delhi’s baseline air quality (2026), a study by CSE’s Anumita Roychowdhury and Sharanjeet Kaur, examined air quality during April-Aug 2026 to understand how much monsoon actually improves Delhi’s pollution levels. It argues that rainfall provides a natural “washout”, but pollution quickly returns once the rain stops.

The Hidden Price of Everything We Buy

‘The fact is that garbage is produced because of our consumption. The fact is that the richer we get, the more we need to throw and waste, and the more we pollute,’ Sunita Narain, environmentalist and director general, Centre for Science and Environment has said. She added, ‘If we pay more to throw, we will also learn not to throw more. This is the way of the future business. Not use, discard and forget.’

India’s bid to keep carbon cash home as Europe adds a new trade cost

According to Trishant Dev, Climate, Trade & Green Industrial Policy expert in Carbon Markets at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), India's carbon revenues should be used to build the infrastructure that allows industry to decarbonise. “At its core, it isn’t really a choice between greening the grid and decarbonising steelmaking,” Dev said. “Decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors ultimately depends on affordable clean power.”

Construction ban, work-from-home: Delhi announces measures to combat winter pollution

Staggered office timings Offices under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will function from 8:30am to 5pm, while those under the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) will operate from 10am to 6:30pm. These measures are aimed at reducing vehicular movement and traffic-related emissions during winter months. According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), vehicular emissions are the top contributor to Delhi's pollution during the winter season. A 50% work-from-home arrangement for government and private offices is also mandated.

Delhi Electric Buses Expand, But Service Gaps Threaten Pollution Fight

Delhi’s electric bus expansion is reshaping the city’s response to vehicle pollution, but the available evidence shows that adding buses will not by itself make public transport a dependable alternative to private vehicles. The city’s strategy now rests on three connected measures: increasing public transport capacity, shifting buses and other vehicles to electricity, and restricting older, more polluting commercial vehicles entering the capital. The scale of the transition is visible in the latest government figures cited in the report. According to the Economic Survey 2025-26, Delhi’s combined fleet of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the Transport Department stood at 6,100 buses in March 2026. Of these, 4,338 were electric buses, including 2,750 12-metre buses and 1,588 nine-metre buses. This means electric buses already form the majority of the reported public bus fleet, making electrification a central part of Delhi’s transport system rather than a limited pilot. The city’s other major public transport backbone, the Delhi Metro, recorded average daily ridership of around 67 lakh passengers, according to the same report. The comparison is important because buses and the Metro serve different roles. Metro corridors carry large passenger volumes along fixed routes, while buses provide the wider street-level network that connects neighbourhoods, markets, residential areas and interchange points. A larger electric bus fleet can therefore improve the reach of the public transport system only if it is deployed with adequate routes, frequency and availability. That is the operational gap at the centre of Delhi’s clean-transport challenge. By March 2026, the DTC was operating across approximately 517 areas and 15 National Capital Region routes, making an average of 32,525 trips a day and serving about 24.29 lakh passengers daily. These figures show the existing reach of the bus network, but they also establish the scale at which improvements must be delivered. A bus that is procured but unavailable on the required route, or one that runs too infrequently, does not provide a practical substitute for a private vehicle. The DTC’s planned additions point to a rapid increase in supply. Its official electric-bus arrival programme records the induction of 2,345 new electric buses in 2026 and a further plan for 2,800 buses in 2026-27. The DTC had also issued information concerning the inauguration of 200 electric buses in August. These additions could substantially alter the composition and capacity of the city’s bus fleet, but the source material does not establish how the new vehicles will be distributed across routes or how their schedules will affect passenger waiting times and daily coverage. This distinction between fleet size and service quality is crucial. Public transport competes with private vehicles not only on emissions but also on convenience. Passengers need predictable departures, manageable waiting times, adequate route coverage and reliable connections to Metro stations and other destinations. The report identifies service expansion and regularity as continuing challenges, suggesting that Delhi’s policy success will be determined by operations as much as by procurement. Delhi’s new electric vehicle policy extends beyond city buses. It places emphasis on electrifying school buses, delivery vehicles and government vehicles, while providing for new inter-city buses to be electric. It also provides that new N-1 trucks purchased or hired by government departments should be electric. These provisions broaden the policy from public transport procurement to institutional and commercial fleets that contribute to daily traffic and urban emissions. The freight restrictions create a second layer of intervention. The Commission for Air Quality Management has stated that BS-3 and older goods vehicles entering Delhi from outside have been prohibited since 1 November 2025. BS-4 goods vehicles have been allowed only for a limited period, up to 31 October 2026. After that date, the role of vehicles using cleaner fuels and meeting stronger emission standards is expected to increase under the stated restrictions. These rules also reveal why Delhi’s air-quality strategy cannot be managed only within the city’s administrative boundary. Goods vehicles enter from surrounding states and move through the wider NCR economy. Enforcement therefore depends on monitoring at entry points, identifying vehicle categories accurately and ensuring that restrictions are applied consistently across a region where freight movement is economically essential. The source material identifies tighter entry controls but does not provide enforcement data, such as the number of vehicles stopped, violations recorded or penalties imposed. The policy architecture is consequently divided across several responsibilities. The DTC and the Transport Department manage or operate the bus network; the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation provides high-capacity rail transit; the electric vehicle policy sets requirements and priorities for multiple vehicle categories; and the Commission for Air Quality Management establishes restrictions affecting vehicles entering the capital. The effectiveness of the overall strategy depends on these institutions working as a connected system rather than as separate programmes. The numbers also show the difference between Delhi’s mass-transit strengths and its network limitations. Metro ridership of approximately 67 lakh passengers a day indicates substantial demand for formal public transport. DTC ridership of around 24.29 lakh passengers a day demonstrates the continuing importance of buses, particularly for trips outside Metro corridors and for first- and last-mile connections. The two systems are not interchangeable. A Metro-heavy network without dependable surface connections can leave many neighbourhoods dependent on private vehicles, while a larger bus fleet without route integration may not deliver the expected shift in travel behaviour. This is why the expansion of electric buses should be assessed through passenger service as well as emissions. The source report does not provide comparative emissions reductions from the current electric fleet, nor does it establish whether private-vehicle use has declined. What it does show is that Delhi is increasing electric public transport while simultaneously tightening rules for older freight vehicles. The unresolved question is whether the pace of these measures is matched by improvements in everyday mobility. The ground-level effect will be felt differently across the city. Commuters who rely on buses require regular services across residential and peripheral areas, not only a larger headline fleet. Freight operators face changing compliance requirements as older vehicle categories lose access. Government departments, schools and delivery companies may need to alter procurement and operating practices as electrification provisions expand. These transitions involve vehicles, charging arrangements, route planning and enforcement, although the supplied report does not detail the required infrastructure or financing model. The report also cites Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment, as saying that technical changes are important but pollution control remains incomplete unless urban traffic systems become smooth and accessible. Her comments extend the issue beyond vehicle technology. They place walking and cycling infrastructure, public transport accessibility and the reduction of private-vehicle dependence within the same urban system. That broader framing matters because cleaner vehicles can reduce tailpipe emissions without resolving congestion, unequal access or unsafe streets. The available evidence supports a clear conclusion: Delhi is moving towards lower-emission public and goods transport, and the electric bus fleet is expanding at a significant pace. It does not yet establish whether the city has converted that investment into a sufficiently frequent, comprehensive and reliable service to change travel choices at scale. The next phase will therefore be judged by implementation. The planned induction of 2,345 electric buses in 2026, the further 2,800 buses listed for 2026-27, and the October 2026 deadline for BS-4 goods vehicles are the immediate milestones identified in the report. Their significance will depend on route deployment, daily operations, regional enforcement and the ability of Delhi and the wider NCR to make public transport a practical alternative to private vehicles.

Delhi Winter Pollution Plan Faces Its Real Test: 48 Hotspots, 334 Teams

The evidence presented in the report also challenges the idea that Delhi can solve winter pollution through one visible intervention. An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment is cited as identifying vehicles, industry, waste burning, household fuel, construction and regional pollution as combined contributors to the winter deterioration. This means that a road-cleaning programme may address one part of the problem while leaving other sources active. It also makes coordination between departments central to the outcome.

हरियाणा सरकार ने गुरुग्राम और फरीदाबाद में रूफटॉप सोलर योजना को दी तेजी, 2027 तक का मिला लक्ष्य

हरियाणा सरकार ने गुरुग्राम और फریदाबाद में रूफटॉप सोलर इंस्टॉलेशन को तेज करने के लिए एक नए प्रवर्तन अभियान की शुरुआत की है। इस योजना के लिए 31 मार्च 2027 की समय सीमा निर्धारित की गई है। यह पहल ऐतिहासिक कार्यान्वयन अंतराल को ठीक करने के उद्देश्य से शुरू की गई है। 2016 के एनर्जी कंजर्वेशन एक्ट संशोधनों के नियमों के बावजूद कई आवासीय सोसाइटियां और कमर्शियल प्रॉपर्टीज ग्रिड पावर और डीजल जनरेटर पर निर्भर बनी हुई हैं। किसके लिए रूफटॉप सोलर है अनिवार्य मौजूदा नियमों के तहत, 500 वर्ग गज या उससे अधिक के आवासीय प्लॉट, ग्रुप हाउसिंग सोसाइटियां और 50 किलोवाट से अधिक लोड वाले कमर्शियल बिल्डिंग्स के लिए रूफटॉप सोलर लगाना अनिवार्य किया गया है। पीएम सूर्य घर मुफ्त बिजली योजना की प्रगति साथ ही राज्य सरकार पीएम सूर्य घर: मुफ्त बिजली योजना को आक्रामकता से आगे बढ़ा रही है। इस योजना का लक्ष्य इसी 2027 की समय सीमा तक 2.22 लाख घरों में इंस्टॉलेशन पूरा करना है। राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर, अगस्त 2026 तक यह केंद्रीय योजना 54.6 लाख घरों के माध्यम से 16,185.48 मेगावाट की क्षमता तक पहुंच चुकी है। दक्षिण हरियाणा में डीएचबीवीएन का प्रदर्शन दक्षिण हरियाणा में, दक्षिण हरियाणा बिजली वितरण निगम (DHBVN) ने 15 सितंबर 2026 तक 62,455 इंस्टॉलेशन की रिपोर्ट दी है। इससे कुल 221.9 मेगावाट की क्षमता जुड़ी है। डीएचबीवीएन ने 52,632 लाभार्थियों को 380.8 करोड़ रुपये की सब्सिडी वितरित की है। निगम ने 1.2 लाख कनेक्शन के अपने लक्ष्य का 51 प्रतिशत हिस्सा सफलतापूर्वक हासिल कर लिया है। प्रशासनिक बाधाओं को दूर करने के लिए उठाए गए कदम प्रशासनिक बाधाओं को दूर करने के लिए, हरियाणा सरकार ने सितंबर और अक्टूबर 2026 के दौरान 23 जिलों में दो महीने का 'सेवा सेतु' अभियान शुरू किया था। इसका उद्देश्य रजिस्ट्रेशन और फाइनेंसिंग में सहायता प्रदान करना था। डीएचबीवीएन के प्रबंध निदेशक विक्रम सिंह ने अधिकारियों को निर्देश दिए हैं कि वे थर्ड-पार्टी निरीक्षण एजेंसी मूडी इंटरनेशनल (इंडिया) प्राइवेट लिमिटेड के साथ समन्वय करके निरीक्षण और कनेक्शन जारी करने की प्रक्रिया को तेज करें। इसके अलावा, भुगतान के नियमों को भी आसान बना दिया गया है। अब नेट-मीटर्स और ऑटो-लोड एन्हांसमेंट चार्जेस की बिलिंग पहले से लेने के बजाय कमिशनिंग के बाद की जाएगी। सरकारी इमारतों और गौशालाओं के लिए निर्देश हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री नायब सिंह सैनी ने यह भी अनिवार्य कर दिया है कि मार्च 2027 की समय सीमा तक स्कूल, कॉलेज, अस्पताल और रजिस्टर्ड गौशालाओं सहित सभी सरकारी इमारतें सोलर पावर पर पूरी तरह से शिफ्ट हो जाएं। कार्यक्रम को मिल रही गति के बीच, इंडियन सोलर मैन्युफैक्चरर्स एसोसिएशन के अमित मनोहर जैसे इंडस्ट्री स्टेकहोल्डर्स ने डीसीआर-कम्प्लायंट सोलर पैनलों की आपूर्ति से जुड़ी चुनौतियों का जिक्र किया है। उन्होंने योजना के संभावित अगले चरणों पर स्पष्टता की वकालत भी की है। ये सभी प्रयास सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट के 2019 के एक अध्ययन के निष्कर्षों को ध्यान में रखकर किए जा रहे हैं। उस अध्ययन में यह बात सामने आई थी कि कमजोर प्रवर्तन के कारण गुरुग्राम में 54.5 मेगावाट के स्वीकृत लक्ष्य के मुकाबले केवल 25 मेगावाट सोलर क्षमता ही स्थापित हो पाई थी।

Chhattisgarh Child Rights Panel Awarded Coveted SKOCH Golden Award

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has been conferred the prestigious SKOCH Golden Award for its innovative programme, 'Rakshak'. The honour was achieved under the leadership of Dr Varnika Sharma, Chairperson of the Chhattisgarh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Chhattisgarh is the first state in the country to receive the award in the field of child rights. The award was presented by SKOCH Group Chairman Sameer Kochhar in the presence of renowned environmentalist Sunita Narain, Poonam Mutreja of the Population Foundation of India, Sanjay Kumar, former Secretary to the Government of India, and Bharat Lal, former Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission. Dr Sharma said the selection process for the award was rigorous. "The Commission first presented a detailed presentation on the 'Rakshak' curriculum to the jury. After rigorous testing, it was selected for the Gold category," she said. The curriculum for the programme was developed to address the shortage of trained human resources in the field of child protection. Its key strength is its practical model. "Students do not only acquire theoretical knowledge, but will also engage directly with Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards, child care institutions, and voluntary organizations through the Commission's communication units, working on fieldwork, case studies, and project reports," Dr Sharma said.

Gurgaon to see fresh rooftop solar push; why the 2027 deadline is significant?

More than a decade after Haryana made rooftop solar panels mandatory for several commercial and residential buildings, the state government is now planning a fresh push to ensure they are actually installed. The drive will focus on Gurgaon and Faridabad, with buildings expected to meet the solar requirement by 2027, The Indian Express has learnt. The move comes as many housing societies and commercial buildings in the two cities continue to depend mainly on the regular power grid and diesel generators, despite Haryana’s earlier rules promoting solar power. Over a decade of roadblocks Haryana first mandated the use of rooftop solar panels under the Energy Conservation Act in September 2014, which was later amended in March 2016. According to state government records, the rules require rooftop solar panels on residential plots of 500 square yards or more, group housing societies, and commercial buildings with a power load of over 50 kW. The required solar capacity varies depending on the size of the property and its electricity use. The progress, in terms of execution, however, has been disappointing. A 2019 study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that Gurgaon had installed only 25 MW of rooftop solar by March 2019, against the 54.5 MW that had been approved. Industrial users accounted for 53% of the installations, followed by commercial buildings at 38%. Residential high-rises accounted for just 9%. Officials in the state Power department said weak enforcement has been one of the main reasons for the slow progress. Although the Town and Country Planning Department made rooftop solar a requirement for getting occupation certificates under the Haryana Building Code, checks largely stopped after developers handed over the housing complexes to resident welfare associations, according to sources.

राजस्थान के स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग को ऑडिट मैनेजमेंट सिस्टम पर गोल्ड स्कॉच अवार्ड

राजस्थान सरकार के स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग द्वारा विकसित ऑडिट मैनेजमेंट सिस्टम (AMS) और उसके सफल क्रियान्वयन को स्कॉच फाउंडेशन ने गोल्ड स्कॉच अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया है। यह पुरस्कार 26 सितंबर 2026 को नई दिल्ली स्थित इंडिया हैबिटेट सेंटर के सिल्वर ऑक हॉल में आयोजित स्कॉच फाउंडेशन के 109वें सम्मिट में प्रदान किया गया। स्कॉच फाउंडेशन के अध्यक्ष श्री समीर कोचर ने स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग के निदेशक अपूर्व जोशी तथा विभाग के प्रतिनिधियों ओम प्रकाश शर्मा, गौरव गुप्ता एवं सुनीता बराड़ को गोल्ड स्कॉच अवार्ड प्रदान किया। स्कॉच फाउंडेशन द्वारा गवर्नेंस एवं विकास के क्षेत्र में उत्कृष्ट कार्य करने वाले विभागों एवं विभिन्न संस्थाओं को अलग-अलग श्रेणियों में स्कॉच अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया जाता है। स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग द्वारा भारत सरकार एवं राजस्थान सरकार की विभिन्न कल्याणकारी योजनाओं के पारदर्शी क्रियान्वयन और हितसाधक आउटकम को सुनिश्चित करने के लिए ऑडिट मैनेजमेंट सिस्टम विकसित किया गया है, जिसे वर्ष 2021 से सफलतापूर्वक क्रियान्वित किया जा रहा है। इस सॉफ्टवेयर के माध्यम से पंचायती राज, नगरीय निकाय, विश्वविद्यालयों, देवस्थान विभाग आदि से संबंधित संस्थाओं की पारदर्शी ऑडिट का सिस्टम विकसित किया गया है। अंकेक्षण दलों का गठन, अंकेक्षण प्लानिंग, एक्जीक्यूशन तथा अनुपालनाएं ऑनलाइन किए जाकर सरकारी सिस्टम को राज्य सरकार की प्राथमिकताओं के अनुसार अधिक पारदर्शी बनाए जाने का प्रयास किया गया है। स्थानीय निधि संपरीक्षा अधिनियम के प्रावधानों के अनुसार इन संस्थाओं द्वारा क्रियान्वित योजनाओं में उजागर अनियमितताओं एवं त्रुटियों के निराकरण की दृष्टि से राजस्थान सरकार के वित्त विभाग के मार्गदर्शन में यह नवाचार किया गया है। इसके सम्मानित किए जाने पर वित्त विभाग के प्रमुख शासन सचिव श्री वैभव गालरिया ने प्रसन्नता व्यक्त करते हुए इसे राजस्थान सरकार के लिए गौरवपूर्ण उपलब्धि बताया। उन्होंने जनहित में किए गए इस प्रयास के लिए सभी संबद्ध पक्षों को बधाई दी। कार्यक्रम में सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की अध्यक्ष एवं प्रख्यात पर्यावरणविद् श्रीमती सुनीता नारायण को पर्यावरण एवं संपोषणीय विकास से जुड़े कार्यों के लिए लाइफ टाइम अचीवमेंट पुरस्कार भी प्रदान किया गया। इसके अलावा विभिन्न राज्यों के विभिन्न विभागों एवं अन्य संस्थानों सहित उड़ीसा के प्रमुख शासन सचिव, शिक्षा विभाग तथा छत्तीसगढ़ के प्रमुख शासन सचिव, जनजातीय विभाग को उनके द्वारा किए गए विशिष्ट कार्यों के लिए विभिन्न श्रेणियों में स्कॉच अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया गया। स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग के ऑडिट मैनेजमेंट सिस्टम को मिला यह सम्मान वर्ष 2021 से संचालित ऑनलाइन ऑडिट व्यवस्था और संस्थागत पारदर्शिता से जुड़े इस नवाचार को राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर मिली मान्यता को रेखांकित करता है।

बाल आयोग के ‘रक्षक’ अभियान को मिला गोल्डन अवार्ड

छत्तीसगढ़ राज्य बाल अधिकार संरक्षण आयोग को राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर बड़ी उपलब्धि हासिल हुई है। आयोग के अभिनव नवाचार ‘रक्षक’ कार्यक्रम को देश के प्रतिष्ठित SKOCH गोल्डन अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया गया है। आयोग की अध्यक्ष डॉ. वर्णिका शर्मा के नेतृत्व में यह सम्मान प्राप्त हुआ है। बाल अधिकारों के क्षेत्र में यह पुरस्कार पाने वाला छत्तीसगढ़ देश का पहला राज्य बन गया है। इस उपलब्धि पर आयोग की अध्यक्ष डॉ. वर्णिका शर्मा ने कहा कि अवार्ड के लिए चयन प्रक्रिया काफी कठोर थी। सर्वप्रथम आयोग की ओर से जूरी के समक्ष ‘रक्षक’ पाठ्यक्रम पर विस्तृत प्रस्तुतीकरण दिया गया, जिसके बाद कड़े परीक्षण के उपरांत इसे गोल्ड श्रेणी के लिए चुना गया है। SKOCH गोल्डन अवार्ड प्रसिद्ध पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण, पॉपुलेशन फाउंडेशन ऑफ इंडिया की पूनम मुटरेजा, भारत सरकार के पूर्व सचिव संजय कुमार और राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग के पूर्व महासचिव भरत लाल की गरिमामयी उपस्थिति में SKOCH ग्रुप के चेयरमैन समीर कोचर द्वारा प्रदान किया गया।

‘रक्षक’ पाठ्यक्रम को राष्ट्रीय पहचान, छग बाल अधिकार संरक्षण आयोग को SKOCH गोल्ड अवार्ड

छत्तीसगढ़ राज्य बाल अधिकार संरक्षण आयोग के अभिनव ‘रक्षक’ पाठ्यक्रम को SKOCH गोल्ड अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया गया है। आयोग की अध्यक्ष डॉ. वर्णिका शर्मा के नेतृत्व में तैयार इस पहल को बाल अधिकार संरक्षण के क्षेत्र में राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर पहचान मिली है। यह सम्मान SKOCH ग्रुप के चेयरमैन समीर कोचर ने प्रदान किया। इस अवसर पर पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण, पॉपुलेशन फाउंडेशन ऑफ इंडिया की पूनम मुटरेजा, भारत सरकार के पूर्व सचिव संजय कुमार और राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग के पूर्व महासचिव भरत लाल उपस्थित थे।

NCR's sustainability mirage: Clean streets, toxic landfills

Much of India's environmental discourse imports a Western template: segregate at source, and the rest follows. This ignores a parallel economy that has existed in Indian households for generations. A 2021 Centre for Science and Environment report found that 30-60% of all paper and cardboard, 50-80% of all plastic, and nearly 100% of all glass bottles manufactured in India are recycled through the informal sector, an unorganized but remarkably efficient contributor to the circular economy.

Winter is coming — and signs are ominous

The season of farm fires is here and 47 cases have already been recorded in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP and Madhya Pradesh between Sept 15 and 23. Experts said this stubble burning season could be complex as the Super El Niño is expected to reduce the number of western disturbances that bring rain that washes away pollutants in the air. To add to this, the peak burning period is expected to coincide with Diwali, which is 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 time, due to a lower number of western disturbances, winds are likely to be slow down, leading to the accumulation of pollutants and stagnation. Besides, Punjab has recorded a rain deficit of over 35% this monsoon, and crop sowing has been delayed. Harvesting is likely to start from late Oct, and stubble burning may be extended beyond the end of Nov. Also, the festive period will be observed in Nov this year, when temperatures start dipping and winds slow down, causing the accumulation of pollutants,” he said. Of the total 47 cases reported between Sept 15 and 23, Punjab recorded 25 farm fires, Uttar Pradesh (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/uttar-pradesh) 19 and Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh one each. This is according to the satellite data compiled by Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Farm fires are currently low but their daily numbers will rise in Oct and peak in the f Experts believe that the impact of stubble burning on Delhi’s PM2.5 is likely to be more this year. The contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 was less in 2025 as the share of farm fires in Delhi’s air quality surpassed 10% on just eight days, including over 20% on only one day. It remained below 5% on most days. In contrast, the share 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 year, down from 10,909 in 2024, while Haryana recorded 662 incidents compared with 1,406. Paddy residue burning events in Uttar Pradesh rose from 6,142 in 2024 to 7,290 in 2025. Rajasthan witnessed 2,890 cases last year as against 2,772 in 2024 and Delhi saw a reduction in stubble burning cases from 13 in 2024 to five in 2025.