Poison in the Air

Inaction in one part of our planet can adversely affect the other part in an amplified manner. This also builds a strong case for a more harmonised, coordinated and integrated response towards clean air across South Asia. We need to re-assess all aspects and perspectives for accelerating action for clean air in this globalised world of ours

- ABHINAV CHANDRA The writer is an IAS officer and Secretary, Environment Department, Government of West Bengal.

The world was already in the VUCA phase with a lot of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. The war in Ukraine that started in the year 2022 added to these upheavals and impacted worldwide trade especially bringing volatile shifts in the food commodity market. Trade of wheat, maize, pulses and fertilizers were severely hit, leading to huge disruptions in the world food market between 2022 and 2024. The resulting inflation led the Indian Government to ban the export of rice. Let us analyze how this geopolitical crisis in the Black sea region caused a cascading effect on the deteriorating air quality of Delhi-National Capital Region in the winter of 2024.

Export-quality rice in India has been grown in areas that traditionally have never grown rice before, namely Punjab, Haryana, and Western UP. The Green Revolution in the north-western part of India led to the use of groundwater for irrigation which now grows the best quality of Basmati and other varieties of rice. The region accounts for more than 70 per cent of the export of the world's Basmati rice. The neighbouring Punjab province of Pakistan also grows Basmati contributing to around 17 per cent of the world's traded basmati. Several factors incite the crop residue burning in Punjab and other northern states during the harvest season in November to early December each year.