CAQM Issues Drone SOP to Four States to Track Stubble Burning

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to four northern states for deploying aerial drones to detect stubble burning. The directive targets agricultural fields across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan during critical harvest windows.

The SOP specifically instructs enforcement teams to deploy surveillance drones preferably between 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM daily. This timeframe was strategically chosen because farmers frequently initiate crop residue burning during late afternoon and early evening hours to evade detection by polar-orbiting environmental satellites like NASA's MODIS and VIIRS.

Statutory mandates require state pollution control boards and district monitoring committees to utilize high-resolution thermal imaging drones capable of night vision. Data collected will feed into a centralized geo-tagged dashboard, enabling rapid response teams to impose environmental compensation levies under Section 15 of the CAQM Act, 2021.

This operational policy is a high-priority topic for Environment (GS Paper III) and Governance. Questions in Prelims and Mains may test the statutory powers of CAQM, air pollution mitigation measures in Northern India, or technological applications in environmental regulation.