Stubble burning causing air pollution, health problems:experts

The illegal practice of burning paddy stubble has been going on unabated in some parts of Punjab and Haryana despite a government ban on it causing air pollution and health-related issues, agri-experts said.
According to Vice Chancellor of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Dr B S Dhillon, stubble burning is causing multiple problems that include affecting the soil health, besides causing environmental pollution.
"Hazy weather was witnessed recently which could have been due to the pollution levels caused post-Diwali and smoke generated from burning of stubble," he said.
Dhillon said stubble burning not only affects the soil fertility resulting from loss of essential nutrients but also causes serious threat to human health including breathing problems, allergies and asthma attacks.

After the harvesting of paddy is over, farmers at many places burn paddy stubble ignoring warnings by the authorities including those issued by the State Pollution Control Boards and the Agriculture Departments.
The problem persists in parts of Punjab including Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Patiala, Sangrur and Ludhiana while in Haryana farmers indulge in stubble burning in some places including Karnal district.

Training workshops and awareness programmes for the farmers are conducted from time to time in both the states, where peasants are told about the harmful affects of burning the stubble, an official of the Punjab Agriculture Department said.
Dr Dhillon said one of the solutions to the problem can be setting up of more biomass plants as they will buy the stubble for power generation and the farmers in turn will get paid for what it.

He said the PAU is apprising farmers of how the stubble can be used for making compost and ploughed back.
Dhillon said 40 per cent of country's total mushroom production comes from Punjab and stubble heaps could be used in its cultivation thus saving it from being disposed in a manner which damages the soil and environment.