The Burning Issue

Stubble burning is the practice of intentionally setting fire to the straw stubble that remains after grains, such as rice and wheat, have been harvested. The technique was widespread until the 1990s, when governments increasingly restricted its use. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has been cited as a major cause of air pollution in Delhi since 2002. Consequently, the central government is considering creating a 1,600 km long and 5 km wide green belt from Panipat in Haryana to Porbandar in Gujarat, covering the entire Aravalli range and beyond, and known as the “Green Wall of India”.

From April to May and October to November each year, farmers, mainly in Punjab and Haryana, burn an estimated 35 million tonnes of crop waste from their paddy fields after harvesting as a low-cost, straw-disposal practice to reduce the turnaround time between harvesting and sowing for the first (summer) crop and the second (winter) crop.

Smoke from this burning produces a cloud of particulates visible from space and has produced what has been described as a “toxic cloud” in New Delhi, resulting in declaration of an air-pollution emergency. For this, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) instituted a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the Delhi government for failing to file an action plan providing incentives and infrastructural assistance to farmers to stop them from burning crop residue to prevent air pollution.

The crucial time for the wheat crop to mature is during mid-April when the temperature is about to cross 35 degrees Celsius. For the wheat crop to reach full maturity and give maximum yield by then, the farmer has no option but to sow the crop latest by November 15 so that it grows for a full duration of 140-150 days. Therefore, farmers have little choice but to burn the stubble, given the pressure under which they have to sow the next crop. However, the lack of any other viable choice pushes the farmers to burn the crops, as burning is cheaper, faster and clears the land in time for the next cropping cycle.

The stubble burning impacts the soil quality while nutrients and microbes die and so does any other flora and fauna that comes in the fire’s way. Stubble burning, which is extremely harmful to the environment, has grave effects on air quality, and also affects soil fertility through the destruction of its nutrients. The practice emits fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), an air pollutant that is a concern for people’s health when levels in the air are high; the particles can get trapped inside the lungs and increase the risk of lung cancer by 36%. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is also one of the leading causes of Delhi’s air pollution problem.

Every year, the deliberate burning of 5.7 million acres of rice paddy stubble contributes to polluting the air with toxins, making it unbreathable for people in the nearby cities. Although harvesters, such as the Indian-manufactured “Happy Seeder” that shred the crop residues into small pieces and uniformly spread them across the field, are available as an alternative to burning the crops, some farmers complain that the cost of these machines is a significant financial burden not incurred when burning the fields. Many initiatives have been taken by the concerned states, the Union, the Supreme Court, High Courts and NGT, but no effective solution has been found, till date. While stubble burning is an important factor, it is not the only factor that contributes to rising air pollution in Delhi.

Aimed at putting end to this dangerous and baleful practice, nurture.farm, an integrated technology-led solutions provider for sustainable agriculture globally and a part of the OpenAg network of UPL, will be replacing the matchstick with a spray service for the Pusa decomposer, a bio-enzyme developed by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI). The fungi-based liquid solution decomposes stubble within 20-25 days after spraying and turns it into manure, thus improving the soil quality. Since Happy Seeder continues to be an expensive method for the majority of the farmers, the cost-effective decomposer can be a popular alternative. One packet of four capsules of Pusa decomposer, costing Rs 20, can be used to make 25 litres of solution that can be used in one hectare (2.5 acres) of land. The company has signed up over 5,00,000 acres in this programme and more than 25,000 farmers will be availing this sustainable agriculture practice free of cost.

“We are actually using the Pusa decomposer that was developed by IARI and bringing that as a free service to the farmers to spray post-harvest that will actually decompose the stubble without having the need to burn. At nurture. com, we are finding solutions and have the ability to solve that problem once and for all. We nurture and want to end the burn in the next three years,” said Dhruv Sawhney, COO and Business head, nurture.farm. “Agriculture can be a key tool for decarbonising the world,” adds Jai Shroff, Global CEO, UPL Ltd.

The initiative also ensures a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases and toxins and soot that gets released into the air. When practised for a while, it considerably increases the soil’s nutrient health and microbial activity, ensuring better yield at reduced input costs for farmers and organic produce for consumers. The company plans to scale up operations to end stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana in the next three years.

Farmer Nirmal Singh said that the land is like a mother. “Indeed, we consider our land to be like our mother. When we burn a matchstick and if it touches even slightly, doesn’t that hurt ? If we set our fields on fire, if we set mother earth on fire, then it will obviously cause harm. Now, we don’t burn our stubble. Earlier everyone used to burn it and so did we. One of the biggest harm is that friendly insects die. Also all the nutrients in the soil get burnt. We do not have enough time for sowing. If sowing is late then we won’t have good yields. If we do not have good yields, our expenses are not covered. If our expenses are not covered we can’t make a living”

Sharing his experience as a farmer, Gurmeet Singh Sandhu said that one of the biggest benefits is it doesn’t pollute the environment. “You must start decomposing, it’s a win,” he said.

Another farmer Amarjeet Singh, stated that the smoke pollutes the air and the entire ecosystem. “Be it religion or any holy book, all preach us to be in sync with nature. The more we love nature, the closer we will be to god. Government and agriculture experts have all helped spread awareness. Slowly but steadily, minds began to change and along with it we changed too. Now we understand that it is important for people to understand this. We have been trying to make people aware for a while now. I request all my brothers and sisters to not burn their crop stubble, instead decompose it.” He said.   

Farmer Parminder Singh, while sharing his experience of the programme said that the land becomes fertile overtime. It significantly decreases the need for pesticides. Gursevak Singh, field officer, nurture.farm, said: “Our company provides you with a free spraying service. You must try it once. Our spray is completely organic and has no side effects. It will decompose your stubble within 15-20 days.”

Another field officer, Gurvinder Singh Bhullar, claimed: “No cost will be taken from the farmers. It is a free service. The booking for the spray can be done on app nurture.farm by using a smartphone. In case, you don’t have a smartphone, you can do the booking with the help of an OTT.”

Recently, the Punjab government has appointed more than 8,000 nodal officers across the state to prevent incidents of stubble burning as the harvest season of Punjab’s major kharif crop, rice, is about to start in a few weeks. The incidents of stubble burning have only increased year after year. In 2018, the state recorded a total of 50,590 incidents of stubble burning which increased to 55,210 and 76,582 in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In Victoria, the level of adoption of conservation cropping practices has increased from around 25% to around 75%, as more and more farmers recognise the benefits in terms of productivity and sustainability.

It is pertinent to note that the Uttar Pradesh government on September 15 issued an order to withdraw 868 cases filed against farmers for stubble burning in different districts across the state. According to the order, the cases were registered under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), 290 (punishment for public nuisance) and 291 (continuance of nuisance after injunction to discontinue) of the Indian Penal Code. As the stubble burning season approaches, citizens in Delhi and other affected cities once again face a winter of toxic discontent.

—Shivam Sharma and India Legal News Service

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