Punjab farmers have burnt paddy stubble over one lakh hectares in just eight days as per the data collected by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) through satellite. So far in this season, the state has recorded farm fires over a total 2.11 lakh hectares area till October 19. While fire incidents are being counted daily, the burnt area report is being collected at a gap of 4-5 days. Stubble burning started in third week of September in the state and, according to PPCB, from September third week to October 19, paddy stubble was burnt on 2.11 lakh hectares (5.21 lakh acres), including 1.02 lakh hectares (2.52 lakh acres) between October 12 to 19 ...

As part of the Centre’ plan to contain pollution by crop stubble burning, state-run NTPC Ltd plans to procure 2.5 million tonne (mt) of biomass pellets as a fuel to generate electricity at its projects. These pellets will be mixed with coal as fuel to generate electricity. With the onset of winters, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are also procuring around 1.3 mt of these pellets, with the orders to be finalized next month. India’s largest power generation firm NTPC Ltd has already placed orders for 0.865 mt of pellets which is being supplied and another 65,000 tonnes order in October.

On Friday, Delhi’s air quality slipped even deeper into the ‘poor’ category, with the share of stubble burning in the capital’s PM2.5 pollution hitting 20%, the highest level so far this season. SAFAR, the air quality forecasting office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, reported 1,112 farm fires in Delhi’s northwest region on Thursday. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national capital had an AQI of 283, Faridabad 289, Ghaziabad 321, Greater Noida 284, Gurugram 262, and Noida 282. An AQI of zero to fifty is deemed “good,” fifty-one to one hundred “satisfactory,” 101 to 200 “moderate,” 201 to 300 “poor,” 301 to 400 “very poor,” and 401 to 500 ...

Delhi’s environment minister Gopal Rai tells Priyangi Agarwal that Centre has to be more determined and active in drawing up a policy on stubble burning and implementing it. With winter setting in, Delhi’s air quality has started deteriorating. How prepared are we to control air pollution this year? Video Player is loading.This is a modal window. We are more prepared this time. We have been conducting different activities in Delhi for the past one month. The sources of pollution in Delhi are stubble burning (major component of pollution), dust, vehicles, biomass burning and others. We have been running an anti-dust campaign to control dust pollution for nearly a month and our teams have ...

During the paddy season, 383 farmers have burnt their fields in the district in one and a half months. After which the Agriculture Department has imposed a fine of about five lakh rupees. However, this time it is less than last year. Let us inform that during the entire season last year, 2803 cases were reported. This time too, information has been obtained through satellite at a total of 585 places so far. Out of which 202 cases have been found to be fake. While 383 cases have been found correct. 265 teams have been formed by the Agriculture Department to prevent the incidents of burning of fangs. After the incidents of setting fire to Fane, ...

The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that paddy residue burning events from September 15 to October 25 this year have been reduced by one-third in Punjab, compared to the last year. According to the status report submitted by the Centre with respect to steps taken to abate air pollution in Delhi-NCR, 2,446 events were reported in Punjab this year – between September 15 and October 25 – as compared with 7,429, in the same period, last year. In 2022, Haryana reported 1,091 events, however this year in the past one month it reported 1027; and in Uttar Pradesh 54 events were reported in 2020, but this year only 30 events were reported so far.

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A meeting was held with the officials and combine harvester owners to prevent stubble burning in the collectorate auditorium under the chairmanship of Chief Development Officer Ghanshyam Meena under the direction of DM Samuel Paul N in Ambedkarnagar. In this, they were made aware of the responsibilities of all the departments as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal. The CDO said that for this, a cell has been constituted at the district level under the chairmanship of Additional District Magistrate.

Every year from the month of October, the problem of air pollution starts increasing in Delhi and its surrounding areas even before the onset of cold. At this time before Diwali, farmers also start burning stubble in their fields, which aggravates the problem of pollution. It has been found that farmers all over the area start burning stubble and its effect is seen in the form of pollution in and around Delhi. And this effect is clearly visible even from satellite. After all, what is this stubble and does its burning really make the problem of pollution serious.

As many as 361,850 small and marginal farmers in Punjab did not receive state incentives for stubble management in the last one year due to paucity of funds.The northern state’s request for financial stimulus to pay this incentive was turned down by the Government of India thrice since 2019, the Punjab government’s Joint Secretary (Agriculture) Manmohan Kalia told Down to Earth. Almost a third of marginal and small farmers (with up to two hectares, or five acres, of land) of the state were already reeling under the rising costs of cultivation. Now, the high costs of stubble management added to their burden.

Every year, the winter season used to be the most awaited time in northern India, but not anymore. As the October and November months draw to a close each year, people in this part of the country start facing a host of health issues caused by poor air quality, owing to the high level of pollution in the environment. A significant contributor (over 40%) to the poor AQI (air quality index) around these times is the practice of stubble burning by paddy farmers in the states of nearby Punjab, Haryana and UP, and is a constant concern for people living in the Delhi-NCR area. To address and discuss a lasting solution to this issue, ...

The Government of India has made it mandatory for thermal power plants in three categories to use a five per cent blend of biomass pellets and coal. The policy will come into effect in October 2022, with a requirement to increase the blend to seven per cent within two years for two categories of plants. The co-firing policy will be in effect for 25 years or till the useful life of the thermal power plant, whichever is earlier. India’s economy is on the path to recovery since the second wave of the pandemic. The first half of October saw a 4.9 per cent increase in electricity consumption compared to September.

 An analysis of data from the Union earth science’s forecasting body System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) determined that the share of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 is highest between October 29 and November 15. The data shows that the highest proportion of farm-fire emissions in Delhi’s PM2.5 level on a single day was 58% in 2018, 44% in 2019 and 42% in 2020. During the peak season, the single-day contribution varies between 20% and 30%.

Rain has delayed spraying of the Pusa decomposer in Delhi, and left fields wet and waterlogged in some places, even as the capital recorded two instances of stubble burning this month. The decomposer solution, meant to help with decomposition of crop residue after the kharif harvest, was to be sprayed on around 4,000 acres out of 14,000 acres of paddy field in Delhi. Around 30% to 35% of this figure has been covered, according to A P Saini, Joint Director, Agriculture. Rainfall, particularly the wet spell on October 18, left some fields waterlogged and others too moist to run a tractor over, even as wheat sowing season is near, officials in the north and ...

A new report has found that India holds the top spot globally for crop-burning emissions. We are responsible for 13% of the total global emissions from crop burning between 2015-2020. With winter just around the corner, this report is an alarming reminder of the horrors to expect in the national capital and its adjoining areas soon. Crop burning, or stubble burning, involves setting fire to fields to remove crop residue from previous harvests. It is an affordable method to remove weeds and pests too. But, unfortunately, it also leads to severe air pollution. As winter approaches, farmers in the country’s northwestern states start burning leftover paddy stubble to get their fields ready in time to ...

The air quality in the national capital improved to the satisfactory category on Monday with the rainfall on Sunday evening washing down pollutants from local sources and reducing the impact of stubble burning, authorities said. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) improved from 160 on Sunday to 82 on Monday. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”. The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ forecast agency SAFAR said the air quality is likely to remain in the satisfactory to moderate categories for the next three days. ...

Every year, due to a lack of alternatives, farmers are compelled to set their paddy fields ablaze to prepare the land for the sowing of wheat. This practice, known as ‘stubble burning’, gives rise to several problems, such as adversely affecting the quality of the land and causing widespread air pollution, the effects of which are felt in Delhi and other neighbouring cities. The Wire’s Indra Shekhar Singh travels to Punjab’s paddy belt in Mogha and Ludhiana to talk to farmers, machine operators and ‘happy seeder’ owners to try and understand the origins of the issue, the current challenges which these individuals face and potential solutions which could change the future of stubble burning in ...

Stubble burning In Meerut, BDO meetings will be organized in two to three days in each village with the heads of 45 gram panchayats coming under the working area of ​​Daurala block. In the meeting, he will appeal to the farmers not to burn stubble. Information about the damage caused by stubble burning will also be given. In fact, on the instructions of the DM, SDM Sardhana held a meeting with the DM of several blocks and officials of other departments and instructed them to take strict steps regarding the stubble. After which Dr. Sajid Ahmed, BDO of Daurala Development Block said that he would form teams of officers in two to three days and hold ...

The battle to keep toxic haze from suffocating the environment seems like a lost one for another year. As kharif harvest picks pace, a grim spectre of farm fires licking up left over paddy stems is unfolding across Punjab with familiar regularity. Only this time, the farmers are more determined not to stop no matter what the cost. “Aggan tan iss vaari hor vi langgan gian jiddan-jiddan vaddi vadegi.. hunn sadha sarkar naal siddha takrao hai. Bhaven sadhe khetan da, mitti da, te hawa da nukksaan ho riha hai par sade kol hor koi chara nahin bacheya sarkar nu jagaun da te kisani nu bachaun da (Farm fires will increase in the days to ...

The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the ‘moderate’ category on Saturday with negligible impact of stubble burning, authorities said. According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ forecast body SAFAR, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 173 and is likely to remain in the moderate category for the next three days. PlayUnmute Loaded: 1.00% Fullscreen “Delhi’s AQI is in the moderate category. In presence of local dry weather and moderate wind, local dust emission enhances PM10. Additional dust input from desert areas via transport is likely. “Impact of stubble burning is negligible. The overall AQI will remain moderate for next three days,” SAFAR said.

Amid rising concerns over the burning of stubble by farmers, the department of extension education in collaboration with the Skill Development Centre of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) organised a campaign-cum-training camp on ‘crop residue management for farmers at Zirakh village (Dehlon). As many as 60 farmers participated in the training session during which awareness was spread regarding schemes/initiatives being taken up by the department of agriculture and farmers’ welfare for crop residue management.

The Government of India (GoI) has made it mandatory for thermal power plants in three categories to use a 5 per cent blend of biomass pellets and coal. The policy will come into effect in October 2022, with a requirement to increase the blend to 7 per cent within two years for two categories of plants. The co-firing policy will be in effect for 25 years or till the useful life of the thermal power plant, whichever is earlier. India’s economy is on the path to recovery since the second wave of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The first half of October saw a 4.9 per cent increase in electricity consumption compared to September.

The agriculture department in Gautam Budh Nagar has sped up distribution of bottles of bio-decomposers among the farmers to minimise stubble burning and curb air pollution in the district, officials said on Thursday. Officials said they have distributed 3,510 vials of bio-decomposers which can be mixed with water and spread over the stubble to decompose it. “We are planning to distribute more vials of bio-decomposers to suppress the stubble burning in the district. We are holding meetings with the farmers in different villages to encourage them to use these decomposers. Each vial of decomposer can be mixed with 200 litres of water to form a solution, which can then be sprayed over stubble covering at ...

The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) on Thursday asked district authorities to ensure complete ban on residue burning by farmers to get rid of stubble after the Kharif harvest. “Stubble burning is a major contributor to air pollution during winters. The district administrations have been asked to reach out to farmers and motivate them against stubble burning. The authorities have also been asked to suggest alternatives means to manage stubble waste,” said Ajay Sharma, member secretary, UPPCB.

In north India, the month of October marks the harvest period for Kharif (fall harvest) crops like rice and maize. In this month, farmers pack their produce and transport it to the mandis (marketplace) for sale while beginning to prepare for the next sowing period in December. It’s the spell between harvesting and sowing when a spike in stubble burning is seen in states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The activity of stubble burning is identified as a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi and other northern Indian states. Even though the state governments have tried to adopt alternative measures to curb the low-cost practise of straw disposal, crop residue burning ...

A biomass power plant in Ferozepur in Punjab is generating electricity using paddy stubble amid increasing concerns over air pollution due to stubble burning by farmers in the state. “The Sukhbir Agro Energy Limited biomass power plant is 18 MW per hr. It is a stubble-based plant that uses 600 tons of stubble in a day and around 2 to 2.5 lakh tons of stubble in a year,” said Sukhbir Agro Energy Limited’s General Manager (Commercial) Satish Bedi told ANI. The initiative by this biomass power plant in Ferozepur has been termed favorable for farmers as they will be paid for selling stubble to the plant. The initiative if scaled up could also aid in ...

As Diwali is fast approaching, along with the enthusiasm of festivals, a fear is enveloping the residents of north India, especially Delhi, about the return of the pollution. Air pollution is rampant in northern parts of India in the period between Diwali and Dussehra, with the winter fog approaching and, of course, the stubble burning in the neighbouring agriculture-extensive states. The problem of stubble burning has been highlighted over the past few years, especially since the major pollution spell that Delhi witnessed in November 2017. Since then, several organisations have worked to come up with solutions that could provide farmers with an alternative to burning stubble.

Though the spectre of stubble burning seems to have receded temporarily due to sudden showers in many parts of North India last week, the menace is likely to be back as soon as weather opens up. This is because paddy harvesting will be delayed further due to unseasonal rains, squeezing the already short window before next sowing starts. Till October 14, less than six per cent of the estimated 41.14 million hectares under paddy this year has been harvested. This also means that over 90 per cent paddy is yet to be harvested and this will mean that once the wet spell passes away.

In the last one week, Punjab has witnessed a 218 per cent increase in stubble burning cases. With the progress of paddy harvesting and wheat sowing time approaching, there has been a spike in farm fires. According to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the state has recorded 2,942 stubble burning cases from September 19 to October 20, out of which 2,017 were reported from October 13 to 19 only, as there were only 925 cases in the first 24 days of paddy harvesting, which started between September 10 and 15 as early varieties like Pusa 1509 Basmati are harvested in this month.

A latest data analysis has shown that compared to the previous three years, there has been an increase in emissions due to crop fires in 2019-2020 by 12.8 per cent, taking India’s global contribution to 12.2 per cent. The new insights into recent trends in biomass fires, including emissions from forest and crop residue fires in India, showed a downward trend in crop fires being observed between 2016-19 citing a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to cropland fires by 11.39 per cent during the three years.

Amid increasing concerns over air pollution stemming from the stubble burning practice in northwest India, a biomass power plant in Punjab’s Ferozepur has managed to generate electricity using paddy stubble. According to officials at the plant, the biomass power facility uses 600 tons of paddy stubble per day, which equates to around 2 -2.5 lakh tons of stubble per year. The initiative is being deemed favourable for farmers as well, since they get to sell their paddy to such biomass facilities, thus generating income.

Continuing rainfall throughout the national capital and neighbouring areas brought Delhi its first “good air” day in more than five years in October but also underlined the threat that pollution in general, and stubble burning in particular, pose for its air quality with the approach of winter. Seized of the grave health risks associated with poor air quality, efforts have been made to wean farmers off the practice of burning crop residue in the Delhi-NCR region and Punjab so as to clear their fields for the next round of sowing. However, the impact of such steps have been slow to take root and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has urged that more be done to check stubble ...

Credit must be given where it is due. In an innovative move, the Centre’s apex farm research body, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, has devised a scheme to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable farm practices by awarding them carbon credits. These can be traded with emissions-heavy industries, providing farmers with an alternative revenue stream. The primary objectives are to arrest biomass burning and encourage crop diversification. This timely intervention could also help reduce air pollution in the national capital region — smoke from stubble burning can account for as much as 42 per cent of air pollution in the area in winter. But while the move is well-intentioned, it needs to be backed with ...

धान की कटाई के बाद खेतों में पराली जलाने की घटनाओं पर जिलाधिकारी पुलकित खरे ने सख्त रुख अपनाया है। जिन किसानों ने खेतों में पराली जलाई, उनकी पहचान कराने के बाद उनके नाम पर जारी शस्त्र लाइसेंसों को निलंबित कर दिया गया है। साथ ही ऐसे किसानों के पासपोर्ट निरस्त करने की कार्रवाई भी शुरू कर दी गई है। जिन गांवों में पराली जलाने की घटनाएं हुई, उनके ग्राम प्रधानों को नोटिस जारी किए गए हैं।

Stubble burning has been a major cause of air pollution in India. It causes toxic haze in the atmosphere which is so thick that it can be seen from outer space. The smoke is hazardous and causes several health problems. In 2018, Delhi resident Vidyut Mohan (29), founder of social enterprise Takachar, began working on a solution to prevent the stubble from being burnt. At the same time, he also wanted to create income opportunities for the farmers. In an interview, Vidyut said, “During the burning season, air pollution in Delhi is 14 times the safe limit. I want to change that. I have always been passionate about working in the field of energy ...

The farm fires in Punjab and Haryana hog all the limelight as they have a direct bearing on the air quality not just in Delhi-NCR but almost in entire north-west India. But are there no farm fires in other states? There are. But because the numbers are substantially less, for several reasons, there is just so less noise about these incidents of stubble burning in other states, especially south Indian states which witness negligible or almost nil instances.

To eliminate this harmful stubble burning, nurture.farm, an AgTech company has launched a Crop Residue Management (CRM) program through which it has signed over 5,00,000 acres, operated by over 25,000 farmers across Punjab and Haryana, aiming to #EndTheBurn. Joining nurture.farm to create awareness amongst Delhites, Mirchi came up with a campaign thought #JalaoNahiJagao. with an intent to give the much-needed voice to this initiative and bridge the urban-rural disconnect on the issue of stubble burning. #JalaoNahiJagao aimed at spreading the message that now is the time to wake up and stand up against a problem that affects the urban population as much as the rural farmers. The initiative is currently spread across 17 districts of ...

Every year, Delhi’s air quality begins to deteriorate as the winter season begins. This is primarily due to stubble burning in the north Indian states. Farmers burn leftover paddy stubble to clear their fields quickly before planting wheat for the next season. As a result, the smoke from farm fires moves towards Delhi, leading to high pollution levels not just in the Capital but the entire National Capital Region.

The attention of everyone regarding stubble burning remains more on Punjab and Haryana. Whereas in many other states of the country, stubble is burnt indiscriminately. Such states are not confined only around Delhi, but are spread from far east to central India. According to photographs received from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Sunday, stubble is being burnt across the country. According to photographs, stubble burning has also been found at six places in Dhemaji district of Assam, two places in Durg district of Chhattisgarh, Dhanbad in Jharkhand and Guna districts of Madhya Pradesh and Sundergarh district of Odisha.

Seven more industries in Punjab have agreed to convert their boilers to accept crop residue as fuel, to help reduce stubble-burning. Already seven industries have converted partially in the past few years. A factory at Shahpur village in Fatehgarh Sahib district had switched over fully from coal to straw as fuel for its boilers, and its annual consumption of paddy stubble is 1.10 lakh metric tonnes. A paper mill in Muktsar uses1.5 LMT of paddy straw. Punjab’s total industrial consumption of paddy straw is 3 LMT, while seven more industries will now add 2.65 LMT to the figure.

With the speedy harvesting of paddy, the cases of stubble burning have also started increasing. All the efforts of the government are proving to be dwarf. In this season, maximum stubble was burnt in a single day on Dussehra. The maximum number of 660 stubble burning cases have been reported on this day. One reason for this is the opposition to agricultural laws and the other is burning more stubble by farmers under the guise of Dussehra. At the same time, the farmers have announced to celebrate the black festival in protest against the agricultural laws. Due to this, more stubble has been burnt especially targeting Dussehra.

With the onset of winter, Haryana government is taking measures to check instances of stubble burning in the state, assured Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Incentives are being provided to farmers and industries too are coming forward to buy stubble this time, the Chief Minister stated, adding that air pollution will not be allowed to increase. “We have asked industries to use stubble for ethanol, energy production. This time there are fewer cases of stubble burning. At some places those who are doing it, we are taking strict action against them,” Khattar stated on Sunday.

Air quality in Delhi slipped to “very poor” category on Saturday with a steep rise in stubble burning in the last two days contributing to 14 per cent in the city’s deteriorating air, authorities said. According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ forecast body SAFAR, Delhi’s AQI slipped to a very poor category with PM 2.5 as the lead pollutant. “Favourable meteorological conditions lead to intrusion of stubble burning related air mass. With 1,572 effective fire counts as per SAFAR harmonised methodology which includes data of two ISRO satellites, the stubble burning contribution in Delhi’s air has suddenly increased to 14 per cent.

ON DUSSEHRA day, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of cities of Punjab came under the ‘satisfactory to moderate’ categories, while seven cities of neighbouring Haryana came under the ‘poor’ AQI zone. Experts said this is good from an environmental point of view as farmers have already started burning their fields to clear stubble before sowing of the next crop. However, they warned that air quality may deteriorate at night because effigies of Ravana are burnt in the evening. According to data available on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website on Friday, Amritsar’s AQI was ‘moderate’ and Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) per cubic meter (mg/cm) was 116. RSMP between 0-55 /cubic meter (mg/cm) in ...

Paddy residue burning incidents have dropped by 69.49 per cent in Punjab, 18.28 per cent in Haryana and 47.61 per cent in the eight NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh in the one-month period beginning September 15 from the same period last year, said the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The data is the result of monitoring of paddy residue burning events from September15 in the states of Punjab, Haryana and the NCR areas of UP by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) to curb and abate air pollution during the ongoing harvest season. The CAQM has held a series of meetings with state government officials, including ...

Harvesting of Kharif crops has started. Along with this, a big challenge has also arisen in front of the government to deal with pollution. In such a situation, the state governments are adopting all kinds of tricks to stop the farmers from burning stubble. This time governments are already ready to get rid of stubble. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has set up a control room at Pusa (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) to deal with the problem of stubble.

As paddy harvesting has begun in Punjab, so too has stubble burning. Till October 12, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has imposed Rs 4.83 lakh environmental compensation at Rs 2,500 per fire incident on farmers after verifying 178 sites. Amritsar tops the list with 355 incidents, followed by Tarn Taran (199) and Patiala (80) in field fires in the state till date. The Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), Ludhiana, has recorded 925 field fires till October 12 across the state and every field fire is required to be physically verified by a team from various departments, including revenue, agriculture and police.

Even as Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar districts prepare action plans to combat the spike in air pollution during the approaching winter season, instances of crop residue burning are now increasing. HT, during a spot visit, found crop residue burning in a field at Nahal in Dasna near the Delhi Meerut Expressway on Wednesday. Both district authorities have put together a slew of measures in their respective winter action plans to keep sources of air pollution in check, including instances of crop residue burning.

The number of paddy residue burning incidents in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were down by more than half this year, compared to last year, as per data available till October 11. Assessment of stubble fires between September 15 and October 11 shows that the cumulative number of incidents is down from 2,957 to 828 in Punjab. Haryana has reported 247 stubble fire incidents against 411 last year. Twelve cases were reported in UP, compared to 37 last year.

A report will also be filed against the owner of the combine harvester machine along with the farmer for burning stubble in the fields. Regarding stubble, the administration has given strict instructions by holding a meeting of officers. In the Tehsil auditorium, SDM Parul Tarar and CO held a meeting regarding the stubble. In which it was told that the orders given by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal will be strictly complied with. He directed that if harvesting work is done without using other tools of crop residue management, then the combine harvester being used should be immediately seized and FIR will be lodged against the owner of the machine. Officers of the ...

After the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the burning of paddy straw, the district administration is also encouraging the farmers not to burn the paddy straw continuously. In this episode, Deputy Commissioner Harish Nair flagged off the awareness mobile van. This van will go from village to village to make farmers aware about not setting fire to paddy straw. Farmers will be told that by burning stubble, the fertile power of the earth is reduced, at the same time it pollutes the environment. Chief Agriculture Officer Dr. Balvdar Singh and the staff of Agriculture Department were also present on the occasion of the departure of the van in the District Managerial Complex.

The state government of Punjab has proposed a solution to the recurrent problem of stubble burning that causes severe pollution not only in the state but also in its neighbouring states. The government of Punjab has mooted the proposal of utilising the paddy crop remnant as fodder for livestock especially cattle in Gaushalas, the Indian Express reported. A research proposal submitted by the Ludhiana-based Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) had recommended using the stubble left after the paddy harvest to be used as fodder for animals. The report had also claimed that about 30 percent of the rice straw is already being used as fodder in many South-East countries as well ...

The Delhi government has begun spraying the Pusa bio-decomposer across farms in National Capital, environment minister Gopal Rai said. He said that the process started in the fields at Fatehpur Jat village, adding that it will be done at more villages in the days to come. The minister told that “The bio-decomposer has helped the Delhi attain great results in making stubble management pollution-free. The number of farmers getting the spraying done has increased as compared to last year.

Crop stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana will continue this year almost as before, satellite images and media reports show. The national capital region (NCR) thus must brace for another season of air quality reaching very poor or even severe levels, compounded by the shift in air-flow dynamics. Indeed, stubble-burning is estimated to contribute anywhere between 20% and 70% of Delhi’s air pollution in October and November; the Union environment ministry last year said that the average contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s pollution has increased from 10% in 2019 to more than 15% in 2020. The government of the national capital territory (NCT) has adopted a 10-point action plan to control winter pollution that ...

Between September 1 and October 10, there were fewer cases of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana than in the corresponding period last year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) satellite data has shown. But experts say this may not be a good indicator of the things to come as the late withdrawal of the monsoon from northwest India may just have delayed the fires. NASA data shows that farm fires were spotted in Punjab around September 15, with around 10-15 showing up on satellite data. The numbers started picking up around September 27, when the count reached 40.

In a few weeks, millions in India will breathe much more polluted air as farmers across northern India burn stubble to clear fields for the winter wheat sowing season. It is both a health and an environmental hazard that repeats every year — one that a 2018 Lancet study found to be the number one reason for premature deaths in India. Cash payments — despite failed past attempts — remain a promising way to address this health emergency in the short run. Annually, Indian farmers set some 92 million tonnes of crop residues on fire. Many are aware of the health costs to themselves and others. But they are caught between a rock and ...

Punjab’s farmers have warned the state government that they will be left with no other choice than to burn stubble if they are not paid compensation as directed by the Supreme Court. Claiming that they spend Rs 6,000 per hectare on getting stubble burnt, farmers say the state government has failed to compensate them. Farmers in Bathinda dumped a tractor load of stubble in front of the District Magistrate’s office in protest on Monday. Similarly, farmers in Punjab’s Roopnagar submitted a memorandum to the District Collector, demanding compensation for not burning farm residue. Paddy straws will have to be burnt if compensation is not paid, the memorandum read.

Over 5.7 million acres of rice paddy stubble is burned on farms in the northern parts of India every year, leading to environmental issues, depletion of soil quality and loss of flora and fauna. The stubble smog engulfs Delhi and its surrounding areas during October and November. This year, an agri-tech start-up firm based out of Bengaluru — nurture.farm — hopes to make a difference. The firm has partnered with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) to improvise the Pusa decomposer by providing capsules developed by the institute into a ready-to-use spray solution and use this to stop the stubble burning to some extent.

On Monday, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai reached his farm located in North Delhi’s Fatehpur Jat village. He sprayed the bio-decomposer created by the ICAR- Indian Agriculture Research Institute (Pusa) on Pehelwan’s fields and kick-started the program aimed to decompose the stubble on the farms and eliminate another factor that chokes Delhi during the winters. “As winter approaches, the stubble burning in the adjoining states begins. It becomes yet another factor aggravating Delhi’s air pollution crisis,” Gopal Rai told India Today.

The stubble burning season is about to begin in India — mainly in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh — with the onset of winters. Stubble burning continues to be the prime cause of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR as the air quality index (AQI) turns “hazardous”. The problem of stubble burning not only leads to the deterioration of the AQI in the Delhi-NCR but has also become a political issue for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh with states blaming each other for the yearly problem.

Any farmer you talk to in Delhi-NCR region would tell you how bad the practice of stubble burning is for human and soil health, but they would also argue that immediate concerns, including high cost and time-consuming option of better farm practices, force them to opt for burning the paddy harvest remnant. Sensing this dilemma, the central government’s apex farm research body — Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) — has stepped in to devise ways that would directly help farmers in earning money through trade in carbon credits accumulated by adopting sustainable farm practices such as by not burning biomass or opting for crop diversification/methods that lead to lesser methane emission.

“Till last year, we used to burn stubble despite tussle with government and legal action threats. This year we’ve opted to spray solution as it has twin benefits – it helps avoid burning-related repercussions and provides additional manure with stubble decomposed in soil. A day or two after applying decomposer, the farm will be tilled and watered which will initiate rapid decomposition,” Singh said. Farmers across Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh usually harvest paddy in October via mechanised combine harvesters, which leaves behind stubble. The farmers then set fire to the stubble to clear land for the next crop.

With the onset of winter, farm fires become rampant in northern Indian states, particularly in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. The problem of burning crops is one of the major reasons for deteriorating air quality in the region during winter and contributes to the alarming pollution levels in the neighboring Delhi. The perennial problem is not only the cause of trouble for the people in Delhi, but over the years it has also became a political issue as heads of state engage in war of words over the yearly problem.

Instances of crop residue burning have started surfacing even as the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) initiated works as part of its winter action plan to combat increasing air pollution ahead of the winter season. On Thursday afternoon, HT found crop residue burning in agricultural fields near Dasna and brought the matter to the attention of UPPCB officials. Instances of crop residue burning in neighbouring states deteriorate the air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Every year, around mid-October, the air of Delhi and the surrounding area are engulfed in heavy and hazy layers of smoke that make it hard to tell the difference between morning and evening. The toxic environment is hazardous for all ages of people. People seldom enjoy the winter sun in the capital city, and the reason for this abysmal air is Stubble Burning. Stubble Burning has been an integral issue that doesn’t seem to be on the roads to resolution, let alone reach it. Stubble Burning is a problem that doesn’t produce somebody solely culpable but poses as a collective crime towards the environment. It is believed that the best way to solve a problem is ...

As some incidents of stubble burning have been reported from Punjab and Haryana, experts have suggested the government increase the subsidy level, as farmers incur more expenses on using happy seeder machine as well as on prevention of pests and increased application of fertiliser for first three years. The stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is reported to have been consistently increasing between September 1 and October 1, according to Nasa data. In Punjab, from 40-50 fire counts around September 19, these increased to 255 on October 1, while in Haryana the number went up from 8-9 to 35 during this period.

The Centre and Delhi government have assured citizens that they are taking measures to tackle winter pollution. On October 5, Union environment minister, Bhupender Yadav, said that mitigation measures to control stubble burning started in July. A day earlier, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a 10-point winter action plan, including paddy straw burning and control through the Pusa Bio Decomposer, which helps the paddy stubble decompose quickly, eliminating the need for farmers to set fire to their fields after harvest. However, Mr Kejriwal added that while his government has appealed to the Centre to ensure that states use the decomposer, the Centre’s response has been tepid.

Ahead of the winter season, an analysis of the Delhi government has said that the air pollution in the national capital will be at its peak between November 1 and November 15. The analysis, conducted by the Delhi government’s environment department has revealed that average PM2.5 levels between November 1 and 15 touched 285ug/m3, categorised as “severe” under regulations of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Senior Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) officials said that in the first two weeks of November, the air in the national capital will be severely polluted due to the farm fires in Punjab and Haryana. Along with stubble burning, smoke from bursting crackers amid Diwali and unfavourable wind ...

The state of Punjab has witnessed a substansial dip in stubble burning cases, which has elated climate and health experts as it has a adverse effect on both. According to latest data, only 320 crop burning incidents were reported till October 6 this year, as compared to 1,533 cases reported last year during the same period. According to the data, the first crop burning case this year was reported on September 16, while 42 cases were reported on Wednesday. The maximum number of cases have been reported on September 29, when 64 incidents were recorded.

Air pollution concerns have resurfaced in northern India, which typically is smothered by a blanket of smog that throws life out of gear in the winter, as farmers resume burning crop residue after harvesting the crop in Punjab and Haryana. Satellite images from the US space agency Nasa show that farmers have already begun burning crop stubble in parts of the two northern states that’s blamed for the winter-time phenomenon that holds up flights and trains and reduces road traffic to a crawl. Data from the agency’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), a key instrument on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite, shows a gradual jump in detection of fires in farmlands ...

In the Green War Room set up at Delhi Secretariat, environment experts analyse the Air Quality Index (AQI) of 13 hotspots from the past 24 hours. They observe that only two — Mundka in west Delhi and Wazirpur in northwest Delhi — have recorded an increase in AQI levels by 16% and 3%, respectively. They then start finding the reasons behind it. A few members of the team of 21 experts monitor farm fires on satellite images, some closely watch complaints received on the Green Delhi app, while others keep a tab on the real-time air quality at 26 monitoring stations. As the air quality in Delhi is expected to deteriorate from this ...

There has been an 82 per cent drop in incidents of paddy stubble burning between September 15 and October 4 across India, with Punjab and Haryana leading the way. However, experts said that how far this trend will be maintained needs to be observed, as excessive rains in September have delayed harvesting of the paddy crop in several major growing states. This could explain why the waste has not been set on fire. Data shows that September rains in Punjab were 77 per cent above normal, and 139 per cent above normal in Haryana.

The Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal on October 4, 2021, announced a 10-point ‘winter action plan’ to tackle the problem of air pollution in Delhi. The plan also includes the formation of teams to check dust, garbage burning, and vehicular emissions. Chief Minister Kejriwal while announcing the 10-point action plan said that it will help in combating air pollution which deteriorates during the winter season because of a number of factors, including the stubble burning by farmers in nearby states.

Air pollution concerns have resurfaced in northern India, which typically is smothered by a blanket of smog that throws life out of gear in the winter, as farmers resume burning crop residue after harvesting the crop in Punjab and Haryana. Satellite images from the US space agency Nasa show that farmers have already begun burning crop stubble in parts of the two northern states that’s blamed for the winter-time phenomenon that holds up flights and trains and reduces road traffic to a crawl. Data from the agency’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), a key instrument on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite, shows a gradual jump in detection of fires in farmlands ...

The national capital has drawn up an action plan to tackle the severe air pollution in the winter months, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday, announcing alternatives to stubble burning, measures to control road dust and vehicular emissions, and urging governments of neighbouring National Capital Region (NCR) states to adopt similar steps. As part of its 10-point plan, the Delhi government will help spraying a bio-decomposer — developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR — also known as Pusa Institute) — which converts paddy stubble into manure without burning, in rural areas in the Capital.

The clear blue skies over the national capital may go dark soon with dust and smoke as the stubble burning season nears. The satellite images by US space agency NASA have shown that crop residue burning has already started in several fields in Haryana and Punjab, according to media reports. Punjab annually generates 20 million tonnes of paddy straw, which is normally set on fire to quickly clear the fields for the next crop, resulting in choking of the National Capital Region (NCR) in October and November, and causing major health effects.

With paddy harvest on since a fortnight, the Centre has pushed Punjab to focus on ex-situ management of the crop stubble. Ongoing schemes of in-situ management will continue. The ex-situ management of paddy stubble means adopting methods in which the stubble is moved from its original place. The most common way is to tie the stubble in bundles and supply it as fuel in biomass-based power generation plants, industrial boilers and in coal based-super critical power generating units. In in-situ, stubble is managing without moving it. The Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas’ had asked Pnjab to do this, with experts claiming that ex-situ management involves lower cost.

Union environment minister Bhupendra Yadav said on Sunday that the Centre received constructive cooperation from four northern states- Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the issue of stubble burning. His remark came a month after he held an important meeting with the governments of these states regarding the action plan to reduce air pollution caused due to stubble burning.

The Centre has got constructive cooperation from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh governments on the issue of stubble burning, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Sunday. Yadav had held a key meeting last month with the governments of Delhi and its neighbouring states Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on the action plan to mitigate air pollution caused by stubble burning. Yadav, who is also the minister for Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment, said on the issue of pollution caused by stubble burning, the Centre has got constructive cooperation from these northern states.

Winter will soon be here but much before that most of North India will be covered by a pall of grey haze and black smog hanging thick in the air. Multiple studies have shown that vehicular emissions, industrial activities, construction dust, burning of coal, firewood and parali (stubble burning), are the main contributors to the deadly air that envelops the cities and chokes its citizens. Between October and November every year the blame for air pollution shifts to the farmers in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, who after harvesting their Kharif crop of rice, take the traditional quick and easy route of parali, and burn the paddy straw and stubble, to prepare their land ...