Jalandhar district sees increase in stubble burning cases

Tribune News Service

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, May 18

There seems to be no let-up in stubble burning cases. This year, the number of stubble burning cases in the district has already touched 431 and it is expected to increase in the coming days. Only 33 cases were reported from the district in 2021.

The Agriculture Department has been organising camps to make farmers aware of the ill-effects of stubble burning, but it failed to check the rising number of cases.

Officials of the department said a maximum number of stubble burning cases were reported from Jalandhar in the past two days.

The increasing number of stubble burning cases is alarming. Experts said farmers burn stubble as they find it easy and no cost is involved in it. It has become a habit now. The experts had earlier stated that stubble burning kills friendly worms in the soil and also makes the soil infertile.

“If we want to protect our environment, it is important to stop burning stubble,” they said.

Farmers from Bajra village in Kartarpur said they used to burn stubble earlier. Now, they had stopped the practice as they don’t want to contribute to polluting the environment anymore.

There are good examples where farmers have started using the stubble in other ways, rather than just burning it. They plough it back into the soil and also use it as fodder for the cattle.

However, the official data shows that there is still a long way to go.

A farmer from Shahkot who has been burning stubble said it was the easier way to get rid of the stubble.

Long way to go

There are good examples where farmers have started using the stubble in other ways, rather than just burning it. They plough it back into the soil and also use it as fodder for the cattle. However, the official data shows that there is still a long way to go.

#Agriculture #Environment #farm fires #Pollution #stubble burning