Hopes belied, again

With no let-up in stubble burning incidents in Punjab, the hopes of the people in the region of getting cleaner air this coming winter have, yet again, been belied. The burning of paddy straw to clear the fields after the harvest is a major factor contributing to the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the state and the NCR in October and November. The Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS), which is compiling data on farm fires in the region, has recorded 275 cases of stubble being set alight from September 15 to October 2 this year as compared to 228 fires in the same period last year. Thus, the paddy harvesting season has once more come with ominous signs of the atmosphere being contaminated by noxious fumes. The farmers have again shunned the scientific way of managing the crop residue as it remains financially unfeasible for them.

The efforts of the AAP governments in Punjab and Delhi to convince farmers and provide them with viable alternatives or incentives for the crucial shift have once more not been fruitful. With only 7,300 stubble management machines having been delivered to the famers till now, the authorities have fallen woefully short of the delivery target of 32,100 machines. Nor has AAP’s proposal of compensating farmers with Rs 2,500 per acre for adopting the green method of crop residue disposal jointly by the two states and a central agency been accepted by the Centre. Now, with the sowing of the rabi crop around the corner, the farmers are left with little time to try out any workable solution.

States such as Haryana, UP and Rajasthan, too, have not been able to fully eradicate the menace. It is the responsibility of all stakeholders to increase the budgetary allocation and utilise the money judiciously to tackle this problem. The toxic fumes that remain suspended in the air after stubble is burnt not only adversely impact the health of millions of people who are left gasping for clean air but also cause incalculable damage to the environment and agricultural fields.