Open House: What steps should be taken to tackle stubble burning and protect environment?

In order to curb stubble burning cases in future, the foremost essential step required by the state government is to implement ban on stubble burning in letter and spirit. Immediate action needs to be taken on guilty farmers so that no other farmer dares to burn stubble in future. If the government succeeds in tackling the problem of stubble burning by farmers, then automatically the environment will be saved and fertility of soil will be protected. The government ordered the agriculture department to create awareness about the side-effects of stubble burning among the farmers by educating them about it through videos or distributing leaflets. Another step needed to be taken is to provide modern farming equipment to all farmers so that they never feel need to burn stubble in future.

Sanjay Chawla

Introduce odd-even scheme in state

The air quality of city has dropped to “poor” category. It hovers between ‘yellow’ and ‘orange’, but it is far better than the index in Haryana cities like Fatehabad, Hissar, Kaithal, etc. or the ‘red’ or even ‘magenta’ status of New Delhi. It is, therefore, amusing to read accounts blaming Punjab for Delhi’s ‘severe plus‘ condition. However, there is no doubt that widespread burning of paddy straw is a major factor in polluting the air. The district administration has already issued strict and timely orders to file FIRs against farmers who burnt their paddy. It will go a long way in preventing the burning of wheat stubble in April next year. It will protect the soil too. The right signal has gone and there is no dearth of awareness in this matter. But I think Amritsar, the abode of the Guru can lead other urban concentrations, if they start observing vehicle-free days, after adequate publicity. Even one day a month can be a good starter. Then the city can have vehicle-free zones, even if on festival days. Perhaps odd-even system can be also adopted for two days. It is ironical when we see people commuting short distances in their polluting cars only to pray before the deity. Brief sermons to this effect must now regularly figure at all mandirs, mosques and gurdwaras. Guru Nanak Dev’s illuminating shaloka ‘pavan guru paani pita’.. ( air is our teacher, water our father ..) needs to be propagated as sincerely and vociferously as possible. The AQI should, however, be flashed more frequently and boldly at all religious places like Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj where there is a foot fall comparable to that at Harmandir Sahib.

Prof Mohan Singh

Set up plants for producing ethanol

The state government encourage ethanol production plants in the state by using stubble as a raw material. The administration launch maketing campaigns to buy stubble at a good price from farmers and sell the same to ethanol plants/sugar cane mills.

If farmers are not able to sell the stubble, the government should make arrangements to collect stubble from the fields of farmers with any cost.

Harjeet Singh

Sensitise farmers on stubble burning

To prevent environmental degradation and protect soil fertility, the administration should implement a carrot-and-stick policy to tackle stubble-burning incidents. All types of incentives and subsidies, such as free power supply, concessional loans, cash transfers, subsidised fertilisers, pesticides, agricultural machinery, including bailers for paddy straw management, the guarantee of MSP, and sale of farm produce in regulated markets, etc., should be offered only to those farmers who refrain from burning their paddy straw and crop residue. Farmers who adopt innovative novel ways to avert farm fires should be recognised appropriately at public functions and be given special treatment in public offices to motivate them. The administration should also organise special awareness campaigns to sensitise the farmers about the adverse effects of stubble burning on soil fertility and air quality, as well as health outcomes in the area. The campaigns should encourage farmers to adopt alternative methods of crop residue management in cooperation with panchayats or social, religious, and farmers’ organisations. On the other side, to strictly enforce the policy, the administration should carry out random field visits, especially either at dawn or dusk, to monitor and discourage the practice of burning crop residue by the farmers in villages. Prohibitory orders should be stringently enforced. FIR should be registered and strict legal action should be taken against the person who violates the rules. Heavy fines should be imposed and subsidies be withdrawn from those who are found guilty of stubble burning.

Dr Kulwant Singh Phull

Transplant trees for maintaining greenery

Where there is a will there is a way. Simply registering cases on farmers for stubble burning is not the remedy. As the laws are made and enforced but both sides — the farmers and the government— should be sincere towards honoring their commitments. As no doubt the atmosphere certainly becomes polluted due to stubble burning but we forget that due to the expansion of national highways and express highways millions of trees have been axed. Instead of axing the trees, the Central / state government should transplant them from one place to another and this will help in maintaining the green belt.

Revolution in the four wheelers, two wheelers and there emission is also responsible for creating pollution in the environment and threat to ecology imbalance. As in the past the farmers used to burn their stubble and afterwards converted the burnt stubble to fertilizers, but in the modern arena for more yields the farmers use much modern type of fertilisers and pesticides. Blame game is on who is responsible for air pollution. Bursting of crackers during Diwali is adding another feather in the cap thus increasing pollution.

Rajat Kumar Mohindru

Penalise farmers for burning stubble

Every year, the state government gives guidelines to the people to keep the environment clean and to stop the barrenness of land. The citizens of the state disobey the government orders and burn stubble. The government should be strict to stop the stubble burning. If any person does not follow the government guidelines, he should be punished and put to heavy fines. The government should hold seminars to inform the public about the environment and barrenness after burning stubble. Due to the burning of stubble in fields, the barrenness of land increases, and we put so many manures to fertilise the land that crops grown with the help of fertilisers and pesticides could be dangerous for health. When we burn stubble, smoke can cause many accidents. So awareness and strictness are necessary to stop stubble burning.

Sucha Singh Sagar

Phase out paddy cultivation

North India, including Delhi, is grappling with the whopping menace of surging air pollution, threatening unprecedentedly public health at large and irretrievable loss to environment. Presently, the major cause of this emergency like situation is being attributed to unabated practice of stubble burning by the farmers despite of various administrative and statutory measures to curb it. Given the present situation, it appears that the governments at the Centre and the concerned states have totally failed in spite of the highest judicial intervention. One can calculate the intensity of government failure in the matter of curbing the most condemnable practice of garbage and leaves burning at the local level by both the public and the municipal employees under the very nose of administration. However, the issue of stubble burning is far wider and more complicated and needs both cohesive and comprehensive measures both short term and long term. Most effective measure state governments should immediately initiate is convincing the farmers to phase out paddy cultivation to be substituted with other less water-guzzling crops to minimise stubble production at the end and consequently to save on depleting ground water. For this, the Centre must come forward to provide assistance both financial and expertise to the farmers in consultation with respective states.

Jagdish Chander

Purchase stubble from farmers

Environmental pollution has been seen an epidemic growth. It is increasing day by day due to large number of industries and automobiles. Many human activities are responsible for increasing environmental pollution. Moreover, many types of diseases are spreading due to the pollution. Majority of the farmers are in a debt trap. The government should start purchasing stubble from the farmers and utilise it for generating ethanol, bio-based oil, etc. Farmers should be given subsidy.

Shashi Kiran

Act firmly against erring farmers

Punjab’s overall pollution is largely caused by the act of stubble burning. Farmers mainly from Haryana and Punjab burn stubble right after harvesting their crops. Such burning releases greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, which cause global warming. Harvest time arrives in October which is right before the winter and fogy season. The fog alone is hard to deal with and smoke is even harder. As October arrives, it brings along the harvest season, which is right before the onset of winter and foggy weather. While fog can be challenging to deal with, the combination of fog and smoke can be overwhelming. The Punjab government has repeatedly tried to warn and stop cultivators from practicing this but not much change can be seen. All the smog from northern states flows towards Delhi, turning the national capital into a smoke chamber. Disposing of stubble and pests after harvest can be a challenging task for farmers, and transporting the remaining crops to the market can be both time-consuming and expensive. As a result, many farmers find it easier to burn the hay. What they fail to grasp is that their actions are leading to the destruction of the land’s fertility, which is critical for their very survival. The consequences of their ignorance are grave and formidable. The government should focus on how to make it easier and more comfortable and encourage the harvesters to return the crop straws. Running awareness camps always comes in handy but this time much more researched and well-explained statements should be announced publicly understandably and convincingly to elucidate the proses and cones of this activity. Additionally, burning any form of the crop should be a punishable offence, and hefty fines and unbiased punishment should be in motion.

Lakshit Jindal

Concerted efforts need of the hour

Pollution is a big challenge in our country as most the big cities, including national capital Delhi, fall in the category of highly polluted cities of the world. Air and water pollution being the largest health and environmental hazards, controlling surge in its desecration has to be our foremost priority. Analysing the factors of air pollution, stubble burning is considered mainly the cause during winter months. Paddy is harvested in these days and despite curbs on burning its residue in fields, there is a little respite from the farm fires. Even the apex court has viewed it very seriously and has directed all stake holders to check the rising pollution by all means. Ostensibly, the surge in environment desecration is attributed to burning of bio-mass residue which has increased in the past few decades, but no sustainable solution is provided for its quick decomposition in fields. While the farm fires go on rampantly despite prohibition orders, farmers treat it their economic and natural compulsion for readying the fields in a very limited time for next cropping. Therefore, the need is to devise a comprehensive strategy to tackle the problem rationally. Civic bodies and citizens shall have to exercise a constant vigil on environmental care for which the measures suggested by CAQM and NGT/ PCBs essentially be got complied through awareness and viable alternatives. In this technology driven era, we have to adopt technological appliances available for upkeep of our environment in an efficient and safe manner.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

QUESTION

The air quality index in the district which came down after rain spiked once again on Diwali night. What preventive measures were overlooked by the residents and the authorities concerned?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to amritsardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (November 16)