Farmer Mahender Jagmal is unconcerned by the plumes of grey smoke rising from his farm, a regular sight amid a widespread winter agricultural practice blamed for stoking Delhi’s annual air pollution crisis.
The 57-year-old farmer from Haryana state’s Jind district, about 125 kilometres from the Indian capital, is among tens of thousands of farmers across large parts of northern India who resort to scorching the earth to remove crop stubble.
I have been a farmer for the last nine years and I have never set my fields on fire. I pay labourers for clearing the straws and then sell it making a profit from the residue, considered waste
Sonu Singh
“What else can we do? The time was running out and I had to clear the stubble … burning is easy and quick,” Mr Jagmal told The National, in reference to the coming sowing season.
For decades, Delhi has suffered the scourge of toxic air caused by emissions from vehicles, factories and dust from construction and roads. The problem persists throughout the year, but pollution creeps to catastrophic levels towards the end of October.
Winds carry the toxic smoke to the city of 21 million from the faraway farmlands of Haryana and Punjab. There, the average farmer illegally burns more than 20 million tonnes of paddy stubble in October and November, according to a study by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, a non-profit agricultural research centre.
The acrid, eye-stinging smoke is then trapped over Delhi as temperatures plummet and air moisture rises to create a thick layer of putrid yellow smog, an apocalyptic scene that is repeated each year.
Since the start of November, farm fire smoke has contributed up to 40 per cent of the city’s air pollution, pushing pollution levels to the “severe” category which experts say is harmful even to healthy people.
On Saturday, the authorities closed schools for a week and asked employees to work from home to decrease transport use after the country’s top court demanded action to reduce pollution.
The Supreme Court proposed a total lockdown in the city to clean up the air after a weeks-long rise of the most harmful tiny particulate matter, PM 2.5, which hovered around 300, almost 10 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s safe limit of 25.
Causing high levels of air pollution has been illegal in India since 1981, but the widespread practice of farm fires was banned in 2015 by an environmental court after pollution levels soared in Delhi, ranked as the most polluted capital in the world.
Across the twin bread-basket states of Punjab and Haryana, farmers say the annual paddy-wheat crop cycle leaves them with little time to clear harvest residue.
They employ the fastest and cheapest method of burning the stubble, which protrudes from the soil as harvester machines cannot clear it.
Farmers say they have to spend extra money to remove the crop residue by employing manual labourers or expensive new equipment, leaving them to fall back on the crude but low-cost method.
More than 50,000 farm fires have been reported in the region since November 1, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is the most in five years, but many farmers defend the illegal practice despite fear of arrest or fines.
Farmers say that they have been scapegoats over the years.
Environmental experts say that stubble burning is not the only cause of pollution in Delhi, where transport and factories remain the chief contaminants, but that it compounds the crisis.
“I do not care about pollution in Delhi … burning stubble is much easier and economical for me … governments can ban it and fine us but we have no other options,” a farmer from Amritsar in Punjab, who declined to give his name, told The National.
“Government says we cause pollution but why don’t they act against big polluting factories that work round the year? We burn straws for a day or two, yet we are blamed,” he said.
But the winds of change are blowing in parts of the region. Many farmers are slowly abandoning the practice, embracing innovative methods even after the government’s failure to extend promised financial help.
A few kilometres away from Mr Jagmal’s village, Ramesh Singh, 58, spends 7,000 rupees ($94) every year to clear the stubble from his two-hectare farm by hiring machines that turn the paddy residue into briquettes for biofuel in power plants, breweries and brick kilns.
Mr Singh started the nontoxic practice three years ago after a decade of using earth-scorching methods he said polluted the air and harmed the quality of the soil.
“There is already a menace of pollution and I didn’t want to be another reason. It was of no use to me, anyway,” Mr Singh told The National.
“I have also been told that burning stubble kills important microorganisms in the soil which are not healthy for the crops. Hence, I have hired balers to clear the stubble from my land and use it.”
Mr Singh did, however, fail to get the government subsidy for adopting the eco-friendly method.
“It is a loss for me as I never received the money,” he said.
Federal and state governments promise an incentive of 1,000 rupees per acre to farmers to wean them off burning stubble.
On paper, authorities claim the scheme is a success but farmers say they are adopting the new methods to protect their health and the environment.
Many entrepreneurs are using their resources to turn the stubble waste into profitable business by converting it into livestock fodder or selling it to paper factories to make cardboard.
Sonu Singh, 25, is one among them who hires dozens of manual labourers to clear the stubble from his 12-hectare farm to convert it into fodder for dairy farms.
“I have been a farmer for the last nine years and I have never set my fields on fire. I pay labourers for clearing the straws and then sell it making a profit from the residue considered waste,” Mr Singh said.
“If the government provides assistance, more farmers can use the stubble to earn money.”
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203S%20Money%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20London%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Zhiznevsky%2C%20Eugene%20Dugaev%20and%20Andrei%20Dikouchine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%245.6%20million%20raised%20in%20total%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20Killer
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EDavid%20Fincher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Fassbender%2C%20Tilda%20Swinton%2C%20Charles%20Parnell%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.
3%20Body%20Problem
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Benioff%2C%20D%20B%20Weiss%2C%20Alexander%20Woo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBenedict%20Wong%2C%20Jess%20Hong%2C%20Jovan%20Adepo%2C%20Eiza%20Gonzalez%2C%20John%20Bradley%2C%20Alex%20Sharp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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