The burning problem: Water woes at the centre of Punjab's smoke screen

The first of a two-part series looks at the reasons compelling farmers across Punjab to burn stubble

Stubble burning or the practice wherein farmers burn crop residue to prepare their fields for sowing, has been the focus of a political slugfest between Punjab and its neighbouring states, especially the national capital region (NCR), where the phenomenon leads to a huge spike in pollution levels around this time every year.

After paddy is harvested in late September and early October, the fields are left with stalks, some of them as high as two feet. Since the sowing of wheat begins in late October, farmers are left with little time to remove the stubble and the quickest and the