As winter is approaching, the annual stubble-burning session in Punjab has returned as per schedule. In the state, more than 700 farm fires have been reported so far, despite the state government claiming to have chalked out an extensive month-long program to curb the practice of stubble burning in the state.
On Monday, the state saw four farm fire incidents, two in Amritsar and one each in Ludhiana and Kapurthala, according to data from the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre.
According to the data, 718 farm fire incidents occurred between September 15 and October 10. As per the data, the state recorded 244 and 150 farm fires on the same day in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Despite the state government assuring more crop residue management machines and launching massive awareness campaigns against stubble burning, farm fires continued.
It is worth noting that merely one-third of crop residue management machines deployed by the Punjab government has been used by farmers to curb stubble burning. Punjab Pollution Control Board member secretary Karunesh Garg in conversation with Economic Times pointed out that there are 90,000 crop residue management machines available for farmers to use, however, due to a lack of awareness the usage of these machines is very low. He also informed that awareness campaigns are being run to increase the usage of crop residue management machines, which can make a significant difference in stubble burning incidents.
The number of stubble-burning incidents, however, is expected to increase in the coming days, as paddy harvesting has been delayed by at least 10 days due to rains last month.
In September, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar urged the state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi to work toward zero stubble burning in the near future. He promised all centre’s assistance to accomplish this mission.
According to Tomar, Rs 600 crore has already been provided to the states this fiscal year, and they have an unspent amount of Rs 300 crore that should be used properly. Furthermore, approximately 2 lakh machines have been made available to the states. According to the Minister, the Centre and the concerned States must collaborate on long-term planning and engage in multi-pronged activities to meet the target of Zero Stubble Burning within a specified time frame.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) issued a warning on Friday that Delhi’s air quality is likely to deteriorate to the poor category in the coming days.
Over several years, stubble burning has been one of the main causes of air pollution over the national capital region (NCR) and other parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains prior to the onset of the winter season.
Notably, the Punjab government issued guidelines on October 12 for residents to use firecrackers during Diwali and other festivals over the next three months. Residents will be permitted to set off firecrackers only for two hours on Diwali, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., according to the guidelines.
Firecrackers will be allowed only for two hours on Diwali night from 8 to 10 pm. Apart from Diwali,crackers will be permitted for one hour from 4 am to 5 am & one hour from 9 to 10 pm on November 8, Prakash Purab day of Sri Guru Nanak Dev: Punjab Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer
— ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2022
It is worth noting that the Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav held a virtual meeting with his state counterparts from Delhi, NCR, and Punjab on controlling vehicular, industrial, and dust pollution, as well as stubble burning, just a day before the Punjab government, issued guidelines. During the meeting, one of the most important topics of discussion was stubble burning.
“The issue of vehicular pollution was also deliberated upon in the meeting, and the states were informed about strict action being taken to ensure that all vehicles have the pollution under control (PUC) certificate,” the ministry said in an official statement. System of road traffic management was also discussed.”
Central government to provide one-time financial aid to set up torrefaction and pelletisation plants
The central government has announced that individuals and companies will receive one-time financial assistance to set up torrefaction and pelletisation plants to ensure a steady supply of paddy straw for co-firing in thermal power plants and industries.
The establishment of these plants will help to solve the problem of stubble burning while also generating income for farmers, said Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday at a workshop on “Guidelines for grant of one-time monetary assistance for setting-up of pelletisation and torrefaction plants to promote utilization of paddy straw.”
According to the guidelines, financial assistance of Rs 14 lakh per tonne per hour plant production capacity (up to a maximum of Rs 70 lakh per proposal) will be provided for the establishment of new pelletisation units.
Notably, Torrefaction plants will receive Rs 28 lakh per tonne per hour plant production capacity, subject to the total financial support of Rs 1.4 crore per proposal.
The government has set aside Rs 50 crore for use in accordance with the guidelines. Individuals and businesses setting up new plants and units using only paddy straw generated in Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana, as well as NCR districts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, can apply for financial aid.
Notably, Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the causes of the national capital’s alarming increase in air pollution levels in October and November. Farmers set fire to their fields to clear crop residue since the window for rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest.
Punjab produces approximately 180 lakh tonnes of paddy straw each year. The state recorded 71,304 such fire incidents in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, and 50,590 in 2018, with many districts witnessing a high number of stubble-burning incidents, including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, and Amritsar.
Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the AAP, had previously blamed the Punjab government for failing to control farm fires in the state. “If you look closely, there are only a few Haryana locations in it.” “Stubble is being burned throughout Punjab, particularly in Bathinda and Amritsar,” he said at the time.
However, under the AAP regime, the same Amritsar district is a major hotspot of farm fires. Amidst all this, the Punjab government issuing guidelines for bursting firecrackers on Diwali seems to be a deliberate attempt to divert attention from pollution caused by stubble burning and the AAP government’s failure to contain it.
