A major contributing factor behind the inability of farmers to stop stubble burning is their lack of knowledge in terms of dealing with the waste
The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the Central government as well as the state governments of Punjab and Haryana after the states failed to enforce anti-pollution measures. This comes at a time when Delhi NCR’s air quality remains 'very poor', prompting increased risk of respiratory diseases .The top court’s bench hearing the matter dismissed the Punjab and Haryana governments' efforts to extinguish farm fires as a "mere eyewash”.
It is that time of the year when Air Quality Index (AQI) jumps up amid the misty wintery days. One visible reason for the worsening air quality is the recurring instances of stubble burning across agricultural states of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh.
Outlook Business decodes the reasons why this annual recurrence of stubble burning is such a stubborn issue to resolve:
Delhi witnesses a smoke-filled weather just when Diwali is around the corner. With the stepping in of October-November, the struggle to breathe becomes real.
As per the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), around 14 million tons (Mt) out of the 22 Mt of the rice stubble generated every year in India, is set to fire. This accounts to about 63.6 per cent of the generated rice stubble and Haryana and Punjab alone contribute 48 per cent to the amount of stubble being burnt.
Stubble burning can be defined as the intentional incineration of stubbles by farmers after crop harvest, as per a 2020 publicly available research study. Stubbles are essentially the cut stalks that are left on the field after harvesting the grains of cereal plants or stems of sugarcane. On a global level, stubble burning contributes to about one-fourth of the total biomass burning.
Few days ago, the Haryana government reportedly arrested 18 farmers in Kaithal district under the charges of stubble burning. Around 24 officials from the state’s agricultural department were also suspended for failing to curb such activities
One of the major reasons behind this activity is the short time available between rice harvesting and sowing of wheat. The delay in sowing wheat often affects the wheat crop and between the harvesting of the paddy crop and the sowing of the next crop, only two to three weeks are left.
In Punjab and Haryana, the paddy crop is harvested between the first and last weeks of October. Following that, the farmers sow the wheat crop from the first week of November till mid-December.
A major contributing factor behind the inability of farmers to stop stubble burning is their lack of knowledge in terms of dealing with the waste. They often do not get any alternatives for utilizing the crop residue effectively and quickly.
The burning of stubble results in the emitting of toxic pollutants in the atmosphere that comprises of harmful gases like Carbon Monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOC). As these pollutants spread in the surroundings, they form a thick layer of ‘smog’ and lead to a detrimental effect on the air quality and people's health.
Another impact of this is that on soil fertility. When the husk is burnt on the ground, it often affects the nutrients present in the soil and results in reduction of fertility.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report from 2008, toxic air due to pollution results in the death of about 7 million people in the world annually. Back in 2012, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) reported that air pollution had led to about 5 million deaths in South Asia which is around 22 per cent of the total deaths in the region.
The central government in 2022 launched the Promotion of Agricultural Mechanisation for In-situ Management of Crop Residue scheme in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi NCR. As a part of the scheme, the cost of owning and renting in-situ crop residue management (CRM) equipment was subsidized, thereby encouraging their adoption across the three states, as per studies by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW). Punjab received over Rs 1,387.6 crore, under this scheme during 2018–22 in order to address stubble burning, 2022 data from PIB stated. Apart from the centre, the Government of Punjab also brought forth financial incentives for farmers who used sustainable CRM solutions and one-time incentives for ex-situ end-users.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was established as per the National Green Tribunal Act in 2010 and it is a specialised judicial body that consists of experts who solely look at examining environmental cases in the country.
On October 22, the NGT directed the Punjab Government to submit what action they have taken to control paddy stubble burning in the state. The bench also asked the state to submit an affidavit in this regard by October 25, after a Supreme Court hearing on the same.
The Supreme Court on October 23 criticized the Centre for making environment laws ‘toothless’ and stated that the provisions under the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Act, that was related to penalties for burning stubble, have not been implemented.
The bench hearing the matter said that the act was enacted without creating any required machinery for implementing the provision of curbing air pollution. As per a Live Law report, Justice Abhay Oka said, “Union of India has not created machinery. Environmental Protection Act has become toothless. You have got rid of punishment replaced with penalty by amending Section 15 and the procedure to be followed for imposing penalty cannot be followed.”
Last week, the SC had summoned the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana asking them to appear before it on October 23 and submit an explanation.
The Environment Minister of Delhi, Gopal Rai wrote to the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav last month, urging to evaluate the viability of artificial rain in the capital city, in order to combat air pollution during the winter months.
The Delhi government in 2023 considered cloud seeding (that result in artificial rain) as an emergency measure during the hazardous air quality days. The government also requested Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to come up with a detailed presentation regarding the same. The implementation of this technology however requires clearance from various agencies of the Central government agencies.
Even though policymakers and research organizations are working cohesively on this matter, the issue of stubble burning and subsequent air pollution in Delhi NCR still remains an issue yet to be resolved. However, stronger policy interventions and centre-state partnerships can possibly steer a way ahead in this journey to combat ‘toxic air’.