Stop blaming farmers for stubble burning, start supporting them
No farmer wants to breathe in smoke or poison his own soil. They burn straw because they have no better option.
Updated At : 06:24 AM Oct 10, 2025 IST
Partial failure: Most solutions to stubble burning have not been designed around farmers' practical needs. Sandeep Joshi
EVERY winter, a thick cloud of smoke settles over northern India, turning skies grey and choking lungs. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) often crosses 400 — reaching "hazardous" levels. Much of the blame is placed on stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, even though it causes less than 30 per cent of Delhi's pollution. But blaming farmers oversimplifies a complex problem rooted in policy, economics and planning.
