 "Stop stubble burning now, says SC: What’s the solution for farm fires?")
The Supreme Court has come down hard on the Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan governments over rising pollution in the National Capital. The apex court, taking the governments to task, highlighted a number of issues including stubble burning, vehicular pollution and burning of waste in the open. A bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said the blame game must end and that the National Capital cannot be made to suffer year after year. The court’s observations came a day after the Delhi government announced its decision to implement odd-even traffic restriction plan from 13 November – the day after Diwali when pollution levels are expected to rise even further. The top court was hearing a plea filed in 1985 by environmentalist MC Mehta on air pollution and the issue of crop residue burning cropped up during the hearing of the PIL. Pollution levels in Delhi, which marginally dipped on Tuesday morning, were recorded in the “very poor” category. Despite a marginal dip, the concentration of PM2.5 – fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems – exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times in the capital. The concentration of PM 2.5, the fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times in the capital. It was 30 to 40 times the healthy limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Delhi on Monday had recorded its fifth straight day of ‘severe’ air quality. But what has the apex court said? And is there a solution to farm fires? Let’s take a closer look: What has the apex court said? As per News18, the Supreme Court ordered the governments to tamp down on stubble burning. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered a contributing factor to the spike in pollution levels in Delhi in October and November every year. As the window for wheat – a key Rabi crop – is very short after paddy harvest, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue for sowing of the next crop. With over 31 lakh hectares of paddy area, Punjab produces around 180-200 lakh tonne of paddy straw every year, of which 120 lakh tonne was being managed through in-situ (mixing crop residue in fields) and around 30 lakh tonne ex-situ (using stubble as fuel) management methods. The state recorded 49,922 farm fire events in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018.
Justice Kishan Kaul was quoted as saying, “Delhi can’t be made to go through this…”
The lawyer representing Punjab pointed out that the state had witnessed a 40 per cent decline in stubble burning and added that “paddy was not Punjab’s crop rather it was brought in.” [caption id=“attachment_13346122” align=“alignnone” width=“646”] A Supreme Court bench said the National Capital can’t be made to suffer year after year. PTI[/caption] Punjab has reported a total of 19,463 farm fires from 15 September to 6 November and it was 35 per cent less than 29,999 such cases in the corresponding period last year. Stubble burning incidents reported from 1 to 6 November constitute 61 per cent of the total such cases in the current season, as per Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data. Punjab on Monday reported 2,060 stubble burning incidents. Kaul responded by saying “this cannot be a political battle” “Everyone cannot sit on their hands… Delhi is facing health hazards,” Kaul added. “You can’t be shifting the blame. It is complete murder of young people. See the situation in Delhi. How many children are on nebulizers. The suggestion given to them is shift out of Delhi,” the bench was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. “The residents of Delhi have been struggling with this problem and there doesn’t seem to be a solution to aggravated pollution this time of the year which passes to next year,” the bench added. “One has to see if he have to traverse a different path. We cant depend on weather conditions to change to hope for some solution.” The AAP and the BJP have been blaming stubble burning in states ruled by the other for the pollution. Taking a stern view of states trying to shift blame onto one another for the pollution, the bench observed there cannot be “political battle” all the time. “Delhi State used to say Punjab, now since you’re in the same political sync, you say Haryana…but you will have to stop it,” Kaul said as per News18.
“We are at zero level patience on this issue now,” the bench added as per Hindustan Times.
The bench added that to ensure crop residue burning must be halted “forthwith” and that it cannot let “people die” due to pollution. “I am sorry, this is complete murder of health of people, there is no other phrase I have,” said Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, who was heading the bench which also comprised Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia. Several cities in neighbouring Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have reported hazardous air quality. Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 338, Gurugram 364, Noida 348, Greater Noida 439 and Faridabad 382. Expressing concern over widespread stubble burning which has not been halted following paddy harvest, the bench said, “The concern is this… these farm fires are not stopping. What action the states are taking to stop the farm fires?” “We want to stop all this. We don’t care how you do it. It is your business how to do it. It must stop,” the bench told the counsel, adding, “You have to stop it, whether by forceful action, sometimes by incentives, sometimes by other actions, but you have to stop it.” It said residents of Delhi have been grappling with health issues at this time of the year, year after year, because a solution to the problem has not been found. The bench also directed the Delhi government to ensure that municipal solid waste was not burnt in the open. [caption id=“attachment_13359702” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A cyclist rides amid smog in New Delhi. The Delhi air quality on Tuesday dipped a bit, to 394, placing it in the “very poor” category. AP[/caption] “We direct the state government of Punjab and for that matter, all other states adjacent to Delhi, which is Haryana, Rajasthan and UP … to ensure that crop burning is stopped forthwith,” it said. The bench made the local station house officer (SHO) concerned, under the overall supervision of the chief secretary, responsible for stopping crop residue burning. The top court observed it was not saying that crop residue burning was the only contributor to pollution but it was a significant factor during this time of the year. The bench also slammed the Delhi government over the smog towers being out of commission. “It’s stated that smog tower installed after earlier directions are not working. Upon query, it was found that some disciplinary action has been proposed against the officer (in charge). It’s ludicrous, we want towers to be working,” the bench said as per India Today. The bench also directed stakeholders to meet tomorrow. “Eminent Secretary should call for a meeting tomorrow, whether physically or Zoom. All stakeholders will connect to ensure that we have a better picture and some redemption by Friday," Justice SK Kaul was quoted as saying by India Today. It has posted the matter for further hearing on Friday. Is there a solution to farm fires? Hindustan Times quoted Solicitor General Tushar Mehta as saying that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last year spoke of a biochemical decomposer developed in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research that reduces stubble to manure on being sprinkled. “Let Punjab now start doing it. It has come from the chief minister of Delhi, whose statement I accept at face value that this will be a win-win situation,” Mehta said.
But some Delhi farmers say the bio decomposer’s effectiveness depends on when it is used.
“The variety of paddy we grew was harvested a few weeks back. We can’t leave the land fallow till spraying begins. Once the crop is harvested using a combine harvester, stubble is ploughed back into the soil. This consumes more diesel, and there might be some benefit in getting the decomposer sprayed, but we couldn’t wait. Many here have already completed the harvest,” Vikrant, a farmer, told Indian Express. Situ Rana, speaking to the newspaper, said for cultivators who grow fenugreek between paddy and wheat crops the decomposer is not very useful. This is because of the time it takes to work. Rana says he has never used the decomposer on his three acres of land. Ajit Singh, another farmer, added, “It was an early variety of paddy. The straw was ploughed back into the soil and took about a month for the field to be ready for the next crop. The solution too, when sprayed, may take that long. It works more like a fertiliser, rather than something that helps decompose stubble.” While the Supreme Court has pulled up the Delhi government over the non-functioning of the smog towers, experts remain skeptical if they can really make a difference given the levels of pollution involved. Some farmers have claimed that alternatives to stubble burning are both costly and unrealistic. [caption id=“attachment_13342392” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A farmer burns paddy stubble at a field, near Jalandhar, on 31 October. The farm fires are a big cause of pollution in Delhi. PTI[/caption] Farmer Manjinder Singh told The Tribune, “There is not much time span between harvesting and sowing of paddy. Mixing paddy residue requires ploughing and a large quantity of diesel is needed for the process.” Singh claimed this increases his expenses by nearly Rs 2,000 per acre. Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said the government should ensure necessary arrangements for the collection of stubble from fields and farmers are ready to give stubble free of cost. Farmers in the state have demanded that they be given Rs 200 per quintal as a bonus for managing stubble. They also pointed out that small farmers with landholding of up to 10 acres could not afford to buy crop residue management machinery for stubble management as they were already debt-ridden. Small farmers do not have any option other than burning stubble for sowing the next crop.
“For them, burning makes their job easy and economical,” another farmer told The Tribune.
Only big growers can afford to buy machines like happy seeders, balers etc for crop residue management, he said. “Some marlas of land are required to store the bales and these heaps become a breeding ground for mouse and other reptiles which cause damage to crops,” farmer Sukhwant Singh told The Tribune. ‘Farmers being targeted’ BKU (Dakunda) president Buta Singh Burjgill said the government should provide machines or other solutions for crop residue management to farmers, especially small ones, instead of taking action against them. Burjgill said farm fire incidents have reduced by 40 per cent this season as compared to last year. BKU (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal said the window between paddy harvesting and sowing of the next crop is very short now and farmers do not want their next crop to get delayed as it could lead to a drop in yield.
Kokrikalan also said farmers were unnecessarily being targeted and defamed for air pollution in Delhi.
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More ShortsHe asked how it was possible that smoke from crop residue burning in Punjab could cause air pollution only in Delhi and not in Jalandhar, Amritsar and other districts of the state. “Where farm fires are taking place, the air quality is good. How is it causing pollution 300 km away in Delhi?” wondered Kokrikalan. It is vehicles, industries and the construction sector which pollute the air in Delhi, he claimed. Kokrikalan claimed that “farmers of Punjab are being defamed under a conspiracy”. With inputs from agencies
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