Why in news
- The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) deployed special Flying Squads across 34 districts in Punjab and Haryana.
- The deployment aims to enforce field-level prevention and real-time monitoring of paddy stubble burning from October to November.
Key terms
CAQM Act, 2021
Statutory central Act setting up a unified body for air quality planning and enforcement in NCR and contiguous areas.
In-situ Management
Managing crop residue directly within the agricultural field using machines like Happy Seeders and Super SMS.
Ex-situ Management
Removing residue from fields for industrial uses like biomass pelleting, bio-ethanol, and thermal power mixing.
Flying Squads
Inter-agency ground teams authorized to inspect and report environmental non-compliance directly to statutory bodies.
What is the CAQM statutory framework?
- Established under the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021.
- Possesses supreme statutory jurisdiction over air quality governance in NCR and adjoining areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and UP, superseding state body directives.
Key enforcement actions
- Deployed Flying Squads across 18 districts in Punjab and 16 districts in Haryana through CPCB coordination.
- Established direct links between field squads, local Parali Protection Forces, state pollution control boards, and central monitoring cells to report ground infractions directly.
Why it matters
- In-situ and ex-situ crop residue management oversight is critical to reducing severe winter haze and PM2.5 spikes in the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
Prelims facts
- CAQM directions override state pollution control boards and state government orders in cases of conflict.
Mains discussion
- Evaluation of legal and enforcement mechanisms in addressing transboundary air pollution in Northern India.
Source: PIB Press Release
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