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[VIDEO] "Look at India. The air is filthy" : Donald Trump

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New Delhi: US President Donald Trump referred to what he called the "filthy air" in India, China and Russia as he defended his decision to pull out of the Paris accord and denounced Democrat rival Joe Biden's plans to tackle climate change in a presidential debate today.

"Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. The air is filthy. I walked out of the Paris Accord as we had to take out trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly," he said during the second and final debate ahead of the November 3 US polls.

"I will not sacrifice millions of jobs... thousands of companies because of the Paris Accord. It is very unfair," he said at the televised debate in which the two candidates avoided shaking hands due to safety risks.

Joe Biden retorted that climate change is "an existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it."

"We're going to pass the point of no return within the next eight to 10 years," he said.

Trump's remarks come days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper visit New Delhi for talks on building the growing US-India partnership.

This is the second time that Trump has made a critical reference to India during a debate. At the first presidential debate, Trump questioned India's coronavirus data. "When you talk about numbers you don't know how many people died in China, you don't know how many people died in Russia, you don't know how many people died in India. They don't exactly give you a straight count," he had said.

The US Presidents remarks drew sharp reactions in India, with some urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give a strong rebuttal to Trump's statements. Opposition leaders like Congress's Kapil Sibal seized the comments to take a swipe at PM Modi's well-known bonhomie with President Trump.

Political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla urged PM Modi to give a strong response to the US President.

"Remember how our IRON LADY Martyr Indira Gandhi ji took on the US and showed Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon their place," he tweeted.

Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, while expressing regret over the "unfortunate comments" made by the US leader, reminded him that India stands committed to climate change goals.

In 2017, Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a global agreement in which President Trump's predecessor Barack Obama had played a key role. The Paris climate accord aims to cap global warming "well below" two degrees Celsius.

The US President has repeatedly blamed countries like India and China for not doing enough on climate change.

India is the fourth highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, accounting for 7 per cent of global emissions in 2017, according to the projection by the Global Carbon Project published in December, 2018.

The top four emitters in 2017, which covered 58 per cent of global emissions, were China (27 per cent), the US (15 per cent), the European Union (10 per cent) and India (7 per cent), it said.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tru...ussia-look-at-india-the-air-is-filthy-2314451
 
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Not just the air, or the rivers, or the streets. There are some very filthy people living in this country.

This place doesn't look like India or you don't look indian, is a compliment.
 
On a different note, I don't think trump knows or remembers any countries other than Russia, India and China. :))

It's always either these three or the usual Iran/Mexico bashing.
 
On a different note, I don't think trump knows or remembers any countries other than Russia, India and China. :))

It's always either these three or the usual Iran/Mexico bashing.

He mentions India as much as he mentions Canada, maybe less.
 
On a different note, I don't think trump knows or remembers any countries other than Russia, India and China. :))

It's always either these three or the usual Iran/Mexico bashing.

Lets not forget North Korea.
I still can't believe his team did a presentation to Kim showing how a holiday resort can be built there.
 
Some Indians are defending Trump by saying he just meant Indian air is filthy.
 
Trump is a *****.

That said, India (and Pakistan) are filthy and governments should focus on climate change instead of current priorities.

India should build toilets :facepalm: and get people out of slums. Even as a Pakistani it boils my blood the way poor are living like rats in filthy slums alongside skyscrapers :facepalm:

Pakistan have similar problems but maybe less severe.
 
Trump is a *****.

That said, India (and Pakistan) are filthy and governments should focus on climate change instead of current priorities.

India should build toilets :facepalm: and get people out of slums. Even as a Pakistani it boils my blood the way poor are living like rats in filthy slums alongside skyscrapers :facepalm:

Pakistan have similar problems but maybe less severe.

Under Modi, India has built the most number of toilets.

Slums are fine ( I am born and raised in a slum myself, and just last month we got tap connection). It is the hygiene which is a problem.
 
Look At India, It's Filthy": Donald Trump Shifts Blame On Climate Change

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump referred to what he called the "filthy air" in India, China and Russia as he defended his decision to pull out of the Paris accord and denounced Democrat rival Joe Biden's plans to tackle climate change in a presidential debate today.

"Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. The air is filthy. I walked out of the Paris Accord as we had to take out trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly," he said during the second and final debate ahead of the November 3 US polls.

"I will not sacrifice millions of jobs... thousands of companies because of the Paris Accord. It is very unfair," he said at the televised debate in which the two candidates avoided shaking hands due to safety risks.

Trump's remarks come days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper visit New Delhi for talks on building the growing US-India partnership.

This is the second time that Trump has made a critical reference to India during a debate. At the first presidential debate, Trump questioned India's coronavirus data. "When you talk about numbers you don't know how many people died in China, you don't know how many people died in Russia, you don't know how many people died in India. They don't exactly give you a straight count," he had said.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tru...ussia-look-at-india-the-air-is-filthy-2314451

I understand China and Russia but why does he keep attacking India in these debates? I wonder if this would hurt the massive fan base he has in India.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Look at India, it’s filthy” <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> <a href="https://t.co/o9MAxKpn8y">pic.twitter.com/o9MAxKpn8y</a></p>— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) <a href="https://twitter.com/bainjal/status/1319487148706328577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
This is so bloody funny though. Event manager had invested so much in showcasing his 'friendship' with Xi and Dolun and we all know what has he got in return!

Proves yet again that foreign policy isn't something which is dictated by bear hugs, photo ops and grand announcements!
 
Some Indians are defending Trump by saying he just meant Indian air is filthy.

He did. He was talking about the Paris Accords.

And he is not wrong. The air in most Indian cities is terribly polluted.
 
Trump sparks rift in India with 'filthy' air comment

Rajini Vaidyanathan

BBC News

There's a lot of outrage on Twitter in India over comments President Trump made during a discussion on climate change.

"Look at India, it's filthy... the air is filthy," the US president said.

The choice of words, and the way they were delivered, has attracted consternation here.

Indians don't take kindly to a close ally raising such public criticism during a debate watched the world over.

But, as others have pointed out, the substance of the president's comments are valid. Pollution levels are high in the country, as I type, AQI [Air Quality Index] readings in the national capital Delhi are rising to dangerous levels.

This isn't the first time Trump has attacked India. It's part of his playbook to criticise foreign nations when pursuing his America First agenda, while also offering them praise.

It's unlikely to dent the bond that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump share. But the timing is a little awkward. In just a few days from now, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will arrive in Delhi for talks.

On one hand the US administration is complaining about its filthy air, on the other it is travelling halfway across the world to strengthen ties with India just a week before election day.
 
Facts are facts.

I'm sure the "ab ki baar Trump sarkar" people will be outraged and calling for boycotts. Not.
 
He did. He was talking about the Paris Accords.

And he is not wrong. The air in most Indian cities is terribly polluted.

Using the word filthy with India should anger Indians. But it seems it depends on who says it. Trump and Imran Khan will in all likelihood get different reactions from Indians. In any case, Trump did throw India under the bus though by saying India is doing worse to control pollution and still getting concessions. That also is a reason to get upset but for some reasons Indians are ignoring it.
 
Facts are facts.

I'm sure the "ab ki baar Trump sarkar" people will be outraged and calling for boycotts. Not.

Meh, Indians (especially) BJP supporters lack critical thinking to realise what really happens. These people get their facts from meme TV channels after all :))
 
He is correct. Most of the north India has poisonous level air in winter months.
 
Trump's description of India as filthy sets off calls for cleaner air

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s description of India as a filthy place with polluted air has unleashed calls on social media for urgent clean-up action, particularly over New Delhi, the world’s most polluted capital.

Defending the clean air in the United States, Trump made the comment during his final debate on Thursday with Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election, saying “Look at India. It’s filthy. The air is filthy.”

On Friday, air pollution in New Delhi and surrounding cities was at its worst in eight months, with the air quality index surging above 300 on a scale of 500, indicating “emergency conditions”.

Trump referred to India to defend his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, said one environmental expert.

“Trump’s commentary on India’s air in the backdrop of his justification from withdrawing from the Paris pact is unfortunate and juvenile,” said Vimlendu Jha, the founder of an activist group, Swechha.

“America is historically the largest emitter in the world and currently the second largest one,” he added.

Trump was correct, said Kapil Mishra, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Trump is right,” Mishra said on Twitter. “Our air quality is actually filthy. In Delhi, we are breathing poison. Time for all of us to come together and deal with the real reasons.”

Modi’s Hindu nationalist party is not in power in New Delhi, which is ruled by the liberal Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party, officials of which have often sparred with BJP functionaries over blame for the poor quality of air in New Delhi.

In a 2017 interview with Reuters, Trump complained that China, India, Russia and other countries were paying too little to help poorer countries battle climate change under the Paris accord’s Green Climate Fund.

“It’s not a fair situation because they are paying virtually nothing and we are paying massive amounts of money,” he said at the time.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-sets-off-calls-for-cleaner-air-idUSKBN2781IO
 
There's no defence against what Trump says. I have often said the same myself, until you can improve standards of hygiene, waste management, and general pollution, you are a third world country. India is a particularly dirty one to be honest, on tv it looks worse than most others.
 
Trump is spot on. You need to call a spade a spade. Indian air quality in winter months is hopeless.
 
There's no defence against what Trump says. I have often said the same myself, until you can improve standards of hygiene, waste management, and general pollution, you are a third world country. India is a particularly dirty one to be honest, on tv it looks worse than most others.

Probably the worst when it comes to cleanliness and air quality.
 
Our dear neighbors have a habit of projecting their own insecurities onto others (usually India because of their inherited hatred).

Calling India a "terrorist nation" and "lapdogs" of someone or the other are classic examples that immediately come to mind.

Don't think any of your dear neighbours, be it Sri Lanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh have any insecurities, they know they are developing nations, hence you don't see youtube littered with Indian Superpower 2020 type videos. You guys should take a leaf out of their book and then wouldn't get so triggered by the likes of Trump pointing out what is obvious to outsiders.
 
I think most Indians will agree that North Indian cities have filthy air issues. Coming from north east, I do feel the air is less "breathable" in Delhi.
 
Expect Indians to go into meltdown over this, as even a much more tame comment is enough to bruise their fragile egos. Being called filthy by the leader of the free world is a kick in the nuts.
 
It's a pity no one picked up the exact quote from Trump.

The quote : "Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia, look at India, its filthy, the air is filthy"

In case any of you are wondering, watch from 0:52.

:)
 
ElAjWA9W0AAbDBf
 
He made a fair point those countries should start now but the US is the biggest polluter in history.
 
Trump accused of racist slur during debate for calling India and China ‘filthy’

As Donald Trump and Joe Biden came face to face for the last time during the second and final presidential debate, a comment from Mr Trump calling India “filthy” has provoked an angry response from many Indians online.

Mr Trump was being questioned about the global climate crisis by moderator Kristen Welker, when he defended his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, which, he said, would have made America a non-competitive nation.

Adding to that, Mr Trump said: “Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India – it’s filthy,” before hastily correcting himself and adding: “The air is filthy.”

The comment did not go down well with Indian Americans and on Twitter in India itself on Friday morning, with many people voicing their opposition to Mr Trump’s comment. New York Times writer Wajahad Ali sarcastically called it a “great way to win over Indian Americans”.

India’s own media quickly picked up on the comment, with NDTV leading its bulletins with a headline calling it an attempt to shift the blame for climate change onto developing countries.

And many Indian politicians, particularly from the opposition, laid into Mr Trump. Sudheendra Kulkarni, a columnist and former BJP official, described it as a “racist slur”.

Much has been made in the past four years of the good relationship enjoyed by Mr Trump and India’s prime minister Narendra Modi, with the pair hailing each other as “good friends”.

Mr Trump’s characterisation of India as “filthy” on the world stage led critics of the prime minister in India to suggest this was not such a great foreign policy victory as it is often described.

A senior leader of the opposition Congress party, Kapil Sibal asked if this was all Mr Modi had to show for the expensive and much-vaunted “Howdy Modi” and “Namaste Trump” events held by the two countries to welcome their respective leaders in recent years.

Referring to Mr Trump’s pronunciation debacles during the Namaste Trump event in India in February this year, comedian Vir Das said: “Svami vivakamudununfu will be really angry."

Many users also pointed out that the air of India’s national capital is indeed in the “very poor” category right now, as the smog season has arrived in the north of the country with temperatures dropping and stubble burning underway in neighbouring states.

A report released this week called State of Global Air 2020 revealed that India’s air pollution has been responsible for the deaths of more than 116,000 babies in 2019 alone due to their mothers’ exposure to bad air in pregnancy.

Other Twitter users called on Mr Trump to look at the air quality in the west coast of his own country, after the impacts of the California wildfires this year.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...thy-china-air-quality-pollution-b1243905.html
 
I think most Indians will agree that North Indian cities have filthy air issues. Coming from north east, I do feel the air is less "breathable" in Delhi.

He didn't differentiate between different Indian regions and neither can most of us foreigners diffrentiate, if anything the south could be more polluted since I assume it's hotter and more humid (?).
 
Pakistanis for Trump!!!
On a serious note every community hates him now it looks unlikely that he will win the election. Sometimes it feels like he is trying his best to lose.
 
He didn't differentiate between different Indian regions and neither can most of us foreigners diffrentiate, if anything the south could be more polluted since I assume it's hotter and more humid (?).

The north, particularly the area surrounding Delhi, has worse air quality due to the dust factor too.
 
Think most Indians (fair-minded ones) dont have a problem with the message itself - its just the delivery of the message which was done with such hate that gets them
 
He didn't differentiate between different Indian regions and neither can most of us foreigners diffrentiate, if anything the south could be more polluted since I assume it's hotter and more humid (?).

Nope. The air of north India is most polluted. South actually has very pleasing environment except a few cities.
 
We bhakts are not opportunistic thali ka baingan, supporting someone on quid pro quo basis like the pseudos. Our support is ideological.

Indeed.

Ideology like anti Muslim, anti peace, anti poor, anti science, etc, etc....

Bhakts' devotion for ideological causes is commendable. :P
 
Nothing to float about for Pakistanis. The air in Lahore and Faisalabad is putrid and barely breathable.
 
The irony of the Hindutuva hugging Trump like deranged maniacs has come back to bite them on their ar**.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump calls India filthy! <a href="https://t.co/Wz2OZkly4i">pic.twitter.com/Wz2OZkly4i</a></p>— Adeel Raja (@adeelraja) <a href="https://twitter.com/adeelraja/status/1319488089656623106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



https://twitter.com/adeelraja/status/1319488089656623106?s=24
 
Think most Indians (fair-minded ones) dont have a problem with the message itself - its just the delivery of the message which was done with such hate that gets them

I don't think it was done with any hate at all, why would Trump hate India? The country is filthy in general, and despite some hindu atheists claiming it is only the air pollution he is talking about, the truth is it filthy in general. The air is probably the cleanest part of India, if it stinks it's only because of the burning fuels and garbage dumps which haven't been managed properly.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Okay, finally got around to making my electoral map prediction. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2020Election?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2020Election</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VOTE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VOTE</a> <a href="https://t.co/STmDSuQTMb">pic.twitter.com/STmDSuQTMb</a></p>— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1323625920595451904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Interesting map :inti
 
Every winter, Indian capital Delhi's toxic air is fuelled by farmers burning crop stubble. But the fires don't stop. Why? The answer lies in water, writes climate expert Mridula Ramesh.

India loses an estimated $95bn (£70bn) to air pollution every year.

From mid-March to mid-October, when Delhi's air quality varies from good to moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups, chatter on air pollution and its causes is muted.

But then comes winter. Pollution in any city mixes vertically in the atmosphere, and the height at which this happens shrinks by more than half in the winter, raising the concentration of pollution. Two new sources also enter the mix. By the end of October, when the rains have ceased, the winds begin to blow in from the northwest, carrying fumes from burning fields. Then there is the Diwali, the popular festival lights, where millions burst fire crackers to celebrate.

Both of these play a large role in the spike in pollution. In the first week of November 2021, when Delhi's air quality went beyond hazardous, stubble burning accounted for 42% of the city's PM2.5 levels - these are tiny particles that can enter the lungs.

Governments have banned the practice, imposed fines and even suggested alternate uses for the straw and other crop residue. But farmers continue to burn stubble. Why?

Think of the fields that are on fire. They get only between 500-700mm (19-27 in) of rainfall a year. Yet, many of these fields grow a dual crop of paddy and wheat. Paddy alone needs about 1,240mm (48.8 in) of rainfall each year, and so, farmers use groundwater to bridge the gap.

The northern states of Punjab and Haryana, which grow large amounts of paddy, together take out roughly 48 billion cubic metres (bcm) of groundwater a year, which is not much less than India's overall annual municipal water requirement: 56bcm. As a result, groundwater levels in these states are dropping rapidly. Punjab is expected to run out of groundwater in 20-25 years from 2019, according to an official estimate.

The burning fields is a symptom of the deteriorating relationship between India and its water.

Long ago, farmers grew crops based on locally available water. Tanks, inundation canals and forests helped smoothen the inherent variability of India's tempestuous water.

But in the late 19th Century, the land began to transform as the British wanted to secure India's north-western frontier against possible Russian incursion. They built canals connecting the rivers of Punjab, bringing water to a dry land. They cut down forests, feeding the wood to railways that could cart produce from the freshly watered fields. And they imposed a fixed tax payable in cash that made farmers eager to grow crops that could be sold easily. These changes made farmers believe that water could be shaped, irrespective of local sources - a crucial change in thinking that is biting us today.

After independence from the British in 1947, repeated droughts made the Indian government succumb to the lure of the "green revolution".

Until then, rice, a water-hungry crop, was a marginal crop in Punjab. It was grown on less than 7% of the fields. But beginning in the early 1960s, paddy cultivation was encouraged by showing farmers how to cheaply and conveniently tap into a new, seemingly-endless source of water that lay underground.

The flat power tariffs to run borewells were cheapened and finally not paid - removing any incentive to conserve water. Water did not need to be managed, farmers were taught, only extracted. In the heady first years of the revolution, fields began to churn out paddy and wheat, and India became food-secure. But after a couple of decades, the water began to sputter.

To conserve groundwater, a 2009 law forbade farmers from sowing and transplanting paddy before a pre-determined date based on the onset of the monsoon. The aim was to make the borewells run less in the peak summer months.

But the delay in paddy planting shrunk the gap between the paddy harvest and sowing of wheat. And the quickest way to clear the fields was to burn them, giving rise to the smoky plumes that add to northern India's air pollution.

So, the toxic smog is but a visible symbol of India's trainwreck of a relationship with its water.

A farmer throws fertiliser in a paddy field at Klehara village, about 28 km from Amritsar on August 3, 2021
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Paddy cultivation is drying up India's groundwater
To tackle this problem, Indians need to respect their water again - a tall ask after decades of neglect.

Take people's choices in food and crops. A century ago, most Indians ate the hardy millet, which could withstand the vicissitudes of India's water. Today, there are far more Indians, and they eat rice and wheat rotis (flatbreads), making millets an unappealing crop for farmers to grow.

And pricing water, directly or through electricity that powers the borewells, is seen as political suicide. Meanwhile, as air quality improves from hazardous to (very) unhealthy, people, courts and political leaders have moved on - at least until next November.

But the time bomb - of depleting groundwater - ticks on. Once that runs out, the November air might be cleaner.

But what will India do about food?

Mridula Ramesh is a leading climate and water expert and author of Watershed: How We Destroyed India's Water and How We Can Save It and The Climate Solution: India's Climate-Change Crisis and What We Can Do about It.

BBC
 

India to host Quad Summit 2025, Donald Trump to represent the US​


India will host the 2025 edition of the Quad Summit with newly-elected United States President Donald Trump set to attend the grouping, officials said.

The last Quad Summit, which was supposed to be held in New Delhi, was shifted to New York due to mismatch in schedules of the leaders attending the event.

"When we were planning for this year's Quad Summit, India was scheduled to host but as we looked at all four of these leaders' schedules, we became increasingly clear that the best way to make sure that they met and had the time they wanted to have these discussions would be this weekend here in the US," Mira Rapp-Hooper, Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania, National Security Council had said in September this year.

"We do expect that next year the Quad Summit will take place in India. PM Modi graciously agreed to swap host years with us and we do expect all four Quad leaders to meet in India next year," she added.

 
Indeed the air is filthy in India. Trump is 100% correct. He calls it the way he sees it. No sugar coating and political correctness.

Too much black soot, dust in the air. No landscaping and the dust flies in the air with absolute freedom.
 
Every winter, Indian capital Delhi's toxic air is fuelled by farmers burning crop stubble. But the fires don't stop. Why? The answer lies in water, writes climate expert Mridula Ramesh.

India loses an estimated $95bn (£70bn) to air pollution every year.

From mid-March to mid-October, when Delhi's air quality varies from good to moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups, chatter on air pollution and its causes is muted.

But then comes winter. Pollution in any city mixes vertically in the atmosphere, and the height at which this happens shrinks by more than half in the winter, raising the concentration of pollution. Two new sources also enter the mix. By the end of October, when the rains have ceased, the winds begin to blow in from the northwest, carrying fumes from burning fields. Then there is the Diwali, the popular festival lights, where millions burst fire crackers to celebrate.

Both of these play a large role in the spike in pollution. In the first week of November 2021, when Delhi's air quality went beyond hazardous, stubble burning accounted for 42% of the city's PM2.5 levels - these are tiny particles that can enter the lungs.

Governments have banned the practice, imposed fines and even suggested alternate uses for the straw and other crop residue. But farmers continue to burn stubble. Why?

Think of the fields that are on fire. They get only between 500-700mm (19-27 in) of rainfall a year. Yet, many of these fields grow a dual crop of paddy and wheat. Paddy alone needs about 1,240mm (48.8 in) of rainfall each year, and so, farmers use groundwater to bridge the gap.

The northern states of Punjab and Haryana, which grow large amounts of paddy, together take out roughly 48 billion cubic metres (bcm) of groundwater a year, which is not much less than India's overall annual municipal water requirement: 56bcm. As a result, groundwater levels in these states are dropping rapidly. Punjab is expected to run out of groundwater in 20-25 years from 2019, according to an official estimate.

The burning fields is a symptom of the deteriorating relationship between India and its water.

Long ago, farmers grew crops based on locally available water. Tanks, inundation canals and forests helped smoothen the inherent variability of India's tempestuous water.

But in the late 19th Century, the land began to transform as the British wanted to secure India's north-western frontier against possible Russian incursion. They built canals connecting the rivers of Punjab, bringing water to a dry land. They cut down forests, feeding the wood to railways that could cart produce from the freshly watered fields. And they imposed a fixed tax payable in cash that made farmers eager to grow crops that could be sold easily. These changes made farmers believe that water could be shaped, irrespective of local sources - a crucial change in thinking that is biting us today.

After independence from the British in 1947, repeated droughts made the Indian government succumb to the lure of the "green revolution".

Until then, rice, a water-hungry crop, was a marginal crop in Punjab. It was grown on less than 7% of the fields. But beginning in the early 1960s, paddy cultivation was encouraged by showing farmers how to cheaply and conveniently tap into a new, seemingly-endless source of water that lay underground.

The flat power tariffs to run borewells were cheapened and finally not paid - removing any incentive to conserve water. Water did not need to be managed, farmers were taught, only extracted. In the heady first years of the revolution, fields began to churn out paddy and wheat, and India became food-secure. But after a couple of decades, the water began to sputter.

To conserve groundwater, a 2009 law forbade farmers from sowing and transplanting paddy before a pre-determined date based on the onset of the monsoon. The aim was to make the borewells run less in the peak summer months.

But the delay in paddy planting shrunk the gap between the paddy harvest and sowing of wheat. And the quickest way to clear the fields was to burn them, giving rise to the smoky plumes that add to northern India's air pollution.

So, the toxic smog is but a visible symbol of India's trainwreck of a relationship with its water.

A farmer throws fertiliser in a paddy field at Klehara village, about 28 km from Amritsar on August 3, 2021
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Paddy cultivation is drying up India's groundwater
To tackle this problem, Indians need to respect their water again - a tall ask after decades of neglect.

Take people's choices in food and crops. A century ago, most Indians ate the hardy millet, which could withstand the vicissitudes of India's water. Today, there are far more Indians, and they eat rice and wheat rotis (flatbreads), making millets an unappealing crop for farmers to grow.

And pricing water, directly or through electricity that powers the borewells, is seen as political suicide. Meanwhile, as air quality improves from hazardous to (very) unhealthy, people, courts and political leaders have moved on - at least until next November.

But the time bomb - of depleting groundwater - ticks on. Once that runs out, the November air might be cleaner.

But what will India do about food?

Mridula Ramesh is a leading climate and water expert and author of Watershed: How We Destroyed India's Water and How We Can Save It and The Climate Solution: India's Climate-Change Crisis and What We Can Do about It.

BBC
This is the same in Pakistan as well. Our smog in Punjab is a result of the crop burning at the end of the season.
 

India says not nervous about working with Trump​


India has said it is not nervous about working with Donald Trump, as the former US president is set to return to office for a second term after his win in the recently held election.

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday that many countries were nervous about a [Trump-led] US, but added that "India was not one of them".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared cordial relations with Trump during his first term between 2017 and 2021.

But India also faced a bitter tariff war with the Trump administration that affected businesses on both sides.

India has enjoyed bipartisan support in the US, working well with both Republican and Democrat presidents over the years.

Different administrations in Washington have long viewed India as a counterweight to China.

Speaking at an event on Sunday, Jaishankar added that Delhi had no reasons to worry that India-US relations would not prosper under Trump.

"Modi was among the first three calls, I think, that President [elect] Trump took," the minister said.

But the traffic war is likely to loom over the relationship.

The president-elect in October had called Modi a "great leader" but also accused India of charging excessive tariffs.

Analysts say it will be interesting to watch if the bonhomie between the leaders can help overcome trade differences between the two countries.

Trump and Modi have often expressed admiration for each other in the past.

In 2019, the two leaders heaped praise on each other during a joint appearance at an Indian-American community event called "Howdy, Modi!" hosted in the Indian prime minister's honour in Texas.

The event, attended by nearly 50,000 people, was billed as one of the largest receptions for a foreign leader in the US.

The next year, during Trump's first official visit to India, Modi hosted him at his home state in Gujarat where he organised a 125,000-strong rally at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.

But despite these big events, the relationship also suffered setbacks.

During his first term, Trump ended preferential trade status for India amid a bitter tariff war between the two countries.

Denial rate for H-1B visas also rose from 6% in 2016 to 21% in 2019, data from the US Department of Labour showed. A majority of these visas are granted to Indian tech workers.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar also argued that the balance of power between the East and West was shifting but added that older industrialised economies like the US were still very important.

"They are big markets, strong technology centres, hubs for innovation. So let's recognise the shift, but let's not get carried away and kind of overstate it and distort our own understanding of the world," he said.

 
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