Case study question on the issue of stubble burning | Assignments Environmental Economics

ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS ASSIGNMENT 1 – SRIKANT SHAW

Q. New Delhi and its surrounding areas are one of the most polluted cities in the world with particulate matter in air

above 100 microgram per meter cube. There are various reasons for this pollution. These include stubble burning in

neighboring States of Punjab and Hary ana, especially befo re cropping season. In winter, the situation gets more severe

due to the fog. However, the farmers are also helpless as they need to clear the stubbles of last cultivation quickly to

take advantage of the monsoon rains. Other reasons for air pollution include pollution from industries, migration of

people to Delhi and its surroundings, increase in the number of private vehicles, drying up of the river Yamuna,

desertification due to cutting of trees and increasing heat waves. In the above context, as an economist, suggest what

economic tools may be used to reduce the pollution level in Delhi.

Ans. India is home to a large number of polluted cities in the world and among those the

capital of India, New Delhi and its adjoining areas are considered one of the most severely

polluted. The impacts of pollution are enormous in all sector: environment, health and

economic. As of 2019, the average annual PM 2.5 concentration across India was 58.1

micrograms per cubic meter; Delhi’s average PM 2.5 concentration for the year 2019 was

98.6 micrograms per cubic meter. The statistics of air pollution is highest not for any capital

city in India but for the world.

Following are the factors in brief for the cause of pollution in Delhi:

1. The poor geography of Delhi (land locked region) i.e., to the north-east of Thar

Desert, to the north-west of the central plains and to the south-west of the Himalayas.

The winds arriving from the coast dispose the dust in the region before colliding with

the Himalayas.

2. Crop burning has become one of the major issues of the region. The states of

Haryana and Punjab are major crop producers leading to a severe depilation of the

ground water in the region. To counter the problem administration restricted the

sowing of rice not until the monsoon season. Policies without proper measurement of

its impact leads to more destruction than reduction which is the case here. Late

plantation of crop left farmers with very little time to prepare for the next season. To

compensate for this farmer started crop burning (First week of November) than going

through a proper process which led to the severe increase in air pollution in the region.

Farmers of UP, Punjab and Haryana together burn around 39 million tonnes of paddy.

Delhi Govt. developed bio-decomposer to tackle problems of crop burning and convert

stubble into manure.

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ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS ASSIGNMENT 1 – SRIKANT SHAW

Q. New Delhi and its surrounding areas are one of the most polluted cities in the world with particulate matter in air above 100 microgram per meter cube. There are various reasons for this pollution. These include stubble burning in neighboring States of Punjab and Haryana, especially before cropping season. In winter, the situation gets more severe due to the fog. However, the farmers are also helpless as they need to clear the stubbles of last cultivation quickly to take advantage of the monsoon rains. Other reasons for air pollution include pollution from industries, migration of people to Delhi and its surroundings, increase in the number of private vehicles, drying up of the river Yamuna, desertification due to cutting of trees and increasing heat waves. In the above context, as an economist, suggest what economic tools may be used to reduce the pollution level in Delhi.

Ans. India is home to a large number of polluted cities in the world and among those the

capital of India, New Delhi and its adjoining areas are considered one of the most severely polluted. The impacts of pollution are enormous in all sector: environment, health and economic. As of 2019, the average annual PM 2.5 concentration across India was 58. micrograms per cubic meter; Delhi’s average PM 2.5 concentration for the year 2019 was 98.6 micrograms per cubic meter. The statistics of air pollution is highest not for any capital city in India but for the world.

Following are the factors in brief for the cause of pollution in Delhi:

1. The poor geography of Delhi (land locked region) i.e., to the north-east of Thar Desert, to the north-west of the central plains and to the south-west of the Himalayas. The winds arriving from the coast dispose the dust in the region before colliding with the Himalayas. 2. Crop burning has become one of the major issues of the region. The states of Haryana and Punjab are major crop producers leading to a severe depilation of the ground water in the region. To counter the problem administration restricted the sowing of rice not until the monsoon season. Policies without proper measurement of its impact leads to more destruction than reduction which is the case here. Late plantation of crop left farmers with very little time to prepare for the next season. To compensate for this farmer started crop burning (First week of November) than going through a proper process which led to the severe increase in air pollution in the region. Farmers of UP, Punjab and Haryana together burn around 39 million tonnes of paddy. Delhi Govt. developed bio-decomposer to tackle problems of crop burning and convert stubble into manure.

3. Industrial pollution is one major factor contribution to the air and water pollution in the area. It has the highest cluster of small-scale industries. The national capital is home to and surrounded by highly pollutive industrial clusters that do not meet limits on air, water or soil emissions. Pigouvian tax or Emission fee has failed to restrict pollution. With as many as 3,182 industries located across the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), industrial pollution adds about 18.6 percent to the poor air quality index. The improper Carbon taxing policy by the administration in the area has also result in industries moving to cheaper and hazardous fuel such as Kerosene, etc. 4. Vehicular contribution also makes up 80 percent of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide in Delhi’s air. The number of vehicles in Delhi was 10.9 million in March 2018, including over 7 million two-wheelers. Vehicular emission has affected the region quality of the air with vehicles not registered to Delhi contributing 25-45% overall to the pollution. The lack in the sufficient quantity of public transport and security have form distrust among the people discourage its use. 5. Construction sites generate high levels of pollutants that can travel long distances over time; this is true for Delhi NCR. The government and local municipal corporations have not adequately ensured compliance of the construction industry with environmental regulations such as covering up debris and waste management. IMPACT OF POOR AIR QUALITY

Air pollution is the fifth major cause of death in India in 2017, according to The Global Burden of Disease Report. 660 million Indians have lower life expectancy living in urban agglomeration. Also, DALYs in India is higher than China and more than double that of US.

The fine particles (PM2.5) pose the greatest health risk, as they are minuscule and can get deep into a person’s lungs and bloodstream. Inhalation of these particles can result in a number of health issues, ranging from coughing and wheezing to asthma attacks and bronchitis, as well as hypertension, heart diseases, strokes, and premature death.

The economic cost of air pollution is high as India spends around 1.28 percent of the GDP on health, while burning fossil fuels results in the loss of 5.4 percent of the country’s India's GDP. A report by the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay has found that air pollution cost Delhi some US$10.66 billion in 2015 alone. It also reduces the attractiveness of Delhi as a global hub for major firms and is acting as a major push factor which can lead to huge loss in revenue and employment generation.

III. Increase in the number of public transports on the roads under public-interest theory. Delhi Government is working with the aim to increase the no. of buses to 11,000 and e-buses no. to 1,300. This will help in the reduction in the dependency on the private transports. IV. Smog tower and anti-smog gun has been set up to filter polluted air in the concentrated regions. This will help distribute cleaner air in the regions. V. Tree transplantation to move trees which were earlier cut for construction and also plantation of ten saplings for one tree cut is introduced. Harsher fines and laws have been introduced to discourage harming of environment while construction and other activities ( Liability: holding polluter responsible ). VI. Government needs to urgently invest in cleaner fuel, and also help people shift to cleaner fuel for both household and industrial sector. The new sector should be the aim of generating economic development rather than depending on carbon fuels. Policies under Command and Control (CAC) can be taken up to persuade the industrial sectors. VII. Gujarat govt. recently launched the world’s first-ever market-based particulate pollution regulation system (Permit Trading) as a pilot project in Surat to curb pollution. Such policies can also be taken up for the Delhi-NCR under cap and trade to regulate pollution in the region. CONCLUSION Delhi was not always this polluted, last decade have sharply led to this situation in Delhi. The illegal mining in the Aravalli region or the burning of crops and paddy, many factors play role in this but overall failed policies and corrupt administration is one major factor generally overlooked. Last year locked down showed administration that Delhi is capable of healing itself if the harm on environment is reduced. Moreover, a prolonged goal a vision is needed to be drawn for any policy to work with a stronger implementation. Investments should be done to increase research and development to find better measures. REFERENCE

Arpan Chatterji, “Air Pollution in Delhi: Filling the Policy Gaps,” ORF Occasional Paper No. 291 , December 2020, Observer Research Foundation.

Case study question on the issue of stubble burning, Assignments of Environmental Economics

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Download Case study question on the issue of stubble burning and more Assignments Environmental Economics in PDF only on Docsity!

ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS ASSIGNMENT 1 – SRIKANT SHAW

Ans. India is home to a large number of polluted cities in the world and among those the