Stubble burning is a big problem for Delhi, Punjab: Will this winter be different?

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday (29 September) said that there has been a 30 per cent decline in stubble burning in Punjab since the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government came to power last March. Unveiling his government’s 15-point winter action plan to combat air pollution in the National Capital, Kejriwal said he expects there will be “improvement” this year in regards to curbing stubble burning. Stubble burning in Punjab and other neighbouring states is one of the main causes of poor air quality in Delhi during winter months. What is stubble burning? How harmful is it? What is being done to tackle it? Let’s take a closer look. What’s stubble burning? Stubble burning pertains to setting the residue straw stubble (parali) on fire to clear the field for the next round of sowing. It is mostly farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh who burn paddy crop residues during the onset of winter around October and November. As the farmers harvest the paddy crop in the first and last weeks of October, they have to prepare the land for sowing the wheat crop from the first week of November until the middle of December, according to a Business Standard report. When paddy is harvested using a combined harvester and thresher, it leaves a large amount of straw and stubble on the field, noted BusinessLine. [caption id=“attachment_13186272” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] It is mostly farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh who burn paddy crop residues during the onset of winter. PTI File Photo[/caption] Due to the paucity of time between rice harvesting and sowing of wheat, farmers in north India resort to stubble burning which is considered one of the cheapest ways to get rid of the agricultural waste from the field. As per a report in Down to Earth, about 500 million tonnes of crop residues are generated in the country annually, with rice, wheat, maize and millets accounting for 70 per cent of the total agriculture waste. Besides wheat and paddy residues, farmers also burn sugarcane leaves on the field. How toxic is stubble burning Stubble burning by farmers in north India, especially Punjab, is believed to be one of the primary causes of air pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) . A previous study by the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, estimated that a whopping Rs 7.6 crore is spent by people in rural Punjab every year for treatment of the ailments caused by stubble burning, reported Down to Earth. Setting crop residues ablaze also leads to greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate global warming. Crop residue burning emits toxic pollutants in the atmosphere such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOC), resulting in smog, as per Business Standard. One of the reasons for the toxic smog that blankets the National Capital during winter months is stubble burning. Air quality in Delhi often deteriorates to the ‘severe’ category every year due to high pollution, triggering a surge in respiratory illnesses and other diseases. [caption id=“attachment_13186322” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Stubble burning contributes to smog in Delhi in winter months. Reuters File Photo[/caption] Stubble burning also makes soil less fertile. The heat from ignited crop residue can penetrate into the soil and kill fungi and bacteria critical for fertile soil, reported BusinessLine. Steps to rein in stubble burning Punjab has vowed to cut farm fire incidents by 50 per cent this year as compared to 2022, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said earlier this week. “The state action plan envisages at least a 50 per cent reduction in fire counts in Punjab during 2023 compared to last year. The plan attempts elimination of paddy stubble burning cases this year in six districts, namely Hoshiarpur, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar (Mohali) and SBS Nagar,” Hindustan Times (HT) reported CAQM as saying. Punjab had reported 49,922 farm fires last year between 15 September and 30 November, with Sangrur, Bathinda, Firozpur, Muktsar, and Moga making up 44 per cent of the incidents. The CAQM, which is a statutory body set up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in August 2021, has launched an action plan to curb paddy straw burning this year. “Efforts are being made to use the paddy straw for industrial and energy generation projects. Sizeable quantity of straw will also be used as cattle fodder,” the body said, as per Outlook. According to Delhi chief minister Kejriwal, the Punjab government is also taking many measures to reduce stubble burning including by encouraging farmers to grow crops other than paddy. “This year Bhagwant Mann has taken several steps. One of which is the diversification of crops – instead of paddy grow other crops. This will save water and lower stubble burning. It has yielded good results,” he said today. “Secondly, the varieties of paddy – the short-term varieties have less stubble and it need not be burnt. Ex-situ management of stubble – for this a few companies have adopted districts and will carry their stubble to convert it into manure or electricity…I think there should be improvement this year,” Kejriwal told reporters.

#WATCH | On stubble burning, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says, "In Punjab, we formed our Government in March last year. The data from last year shows the steps taken in 6-7 months led to a 30% reduction in stubble burning. This year Bhagwant Mann has taken several steps. One of… pic.twitter.com/hNTSsFpxqW

— ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2023

The Punjab government is also planning to use Pusa bio-decomposers on fields. Developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, the microbial solution can turn crop residue to manure in 15-20 days. The Delhi CM said that the solution will be sprayed on 5,000 hectares of farmland this year as compared to 4,400 hectares in 2022. Environmentalist PS Bhatti, based in Punjab’s Amritsar, has started roping in school students and teachers to spread awareness among farmers about the harmful effects of stubble burning, reported Outlook. As per the Outlook report, the Punjab government has engaged several NGOs and organisations like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in its efforts to advise and back environment-friendly alternatives to stubble burning. In Haryana’s Karnal, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has set up eight teams to discourage people from crop residue burning. The team consisting of officials from the Agriculture, Revenue and Panchayati Raj Departments, and 10 to 15 police personnel, will “educate people about the ill effects of the practice”, The Tribune reported. What else can be done? There are other measures that can be implemented to tackle stubble burning . The governments can encourage farmers to use agricultural machines like Happy Seeder, Rotavator, Baler, etc. by making these costly items affordable. These technologies can help farmers to effectively manage crop residues, as per the BusinessLine report. Another step can be to endorse sustainable farm management practices such as composting, production of biochar, and in-situ management with mechanical intensification, the report added. The use of new and improved varieties of rice and wheat crops is also likely to curb the problem of stubble burning, noted BusinessLine.  With inputs from agencies