Page 12 - Stubble Burning

On average, Haryana sees 100 stubble fires per day; farmers blame govt

The impact of farm fires has been visible on Delhi's air quality. The AQI of the Delhi-NCR region is getting worse and will deteriorate post-Diwali

Stubble burning significant contributor to Delhi's unbreathable air: Report

As the air quality in the national capital exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) during the winters, stubble burning remains a significant contributor to Delhi's unbreathable air in October and November, a research study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said. It further said the causes behind Delhi's unbreathable air include a lack of emission control technologies in major sources of pollution, vehicular emissions, and episodic events of stubble burning, making the city's air quality extremely hazardous. "With the rains between 5 and 11 October giving Delhiites a brief respite from air pollution, the city's ambient air quality has deteriorated significantly since then and will continue to do so with winter fast approaching, the study said. It said the same or even higher pollution levels are expected across other cities and rural areas nearby Delhi, including Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Panipat, Ambala, Amritsar and ...

Solution for stubble burning

While there are many other contributors to poor AQI, stubble burning contributes between 35-45 per cent of atmospheric pollution in this season

Punjab rapped for failure to control stubble burning surge ahead of Diwali

On Monday and Tuesday, 1,045 events of stubble burning were reported as against 114 events during the same period in 2021

Smog-covered festivities for Delhi-NCR as stubble burning, Diwali coincide

Ongoing construction across NCR to exacerbate situation; While the number of residue-burning cases reported so far is about half of last year's figure, it is likely to shoot up in the days ahead

Stubble burning: Bio-decomposer to be sprayed in Delhi fields from today

The Delhi government will start spraying Pusa bio-decomposer in agricultural fields to prevent stubble burning in the capital from Tuesday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. Prepared by scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) here, the Pusa bio-decomposer is a microbial solution which can turn paddy straw into manure in 15-20 days. The solution will be sprayed on 5,000 acres of basmati and non-basmati fields in the capital this year. The Pusa bio-decomposer was used on 4,300 acres of land belonging to 844 farmers in Delhi last year. In 2020, 310 farmers had used it on 1,935 acres of land. The Delhi government has set up 21 teams to create awareness about the effectiveness of bio-decomposer and register farmers who want to use the solution in their fields. According to officials, spraying of bio-decomposer costs just Rs 30 per acre. In 2021, a third-party audit conducted to ascertain the impact of the microbial solution in Delhi showed that it was 95 per

Air quality likely to worsen in next few days due to stubble burning

Now that the rains and strong winds have stopped, the national capital will witness air pollution rising, said Dr Ravi Kant Pathak

700 stubble fires in Punjab this year so far: State Agriculture Minister

As many as 700 incidents of stubble burning reported in Punjab so far this year, said the state's Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Wednesday

Farmers involved in stubble burning to be fined Rs 2500/acre in Gurugram

In order to curb the stubble burning incidents in Gurugram, the district administration has decided to fine farmers for burning stubble in the district.

Punjab farmers shifting to sustainable ways of getting rid of crop residue

A handful of farmers in Punjab have started disposing crop residue -- which is usually burnt and causes air pollution -- in a sustainable manner, either by using it as natural fertiliser or selling it for fuel production. These farmers have not only reduced consumption of fertilisers by mixing crop residue in the soil but have also begun to monetise the practice by managing the stubble of other growers. Bhupinder Singh (59), who cultivates 30 acres of land in Badarpur, the last village of Mohali district, has not been burning paddy stubble since 2018. Instead, he mixes it with soil using an MB plough, a tillage equipment. "After which the land is ready for sowing the next crop wheat." He says that after it is buried, stubble residue gets decomposed within a week. "With the absorption of stubble in soil, the consumption of fertiliser has dropped. Earlier, we used to use potash for wheat crop which we no longer do," he says. "Farmers do not want to burn stubble. When a grower find

Stubble-burning cases double since September 15 despite late rain

Ground reports show much of the paddy is yet to be harvested in North India due to the delayed withdrawal of the southwest monsoon

BJP slams AAP govt over stubble burning in Punjab, tweets pictures

BJP on Friday attacked the Aam Aadmi Party tweeting pictures of what it alleged was stubble burning in Punjab and accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of doing little to tackle the issue. The AAP dispensation has in the past accused neighbouring states, including then-Congress ruled Punjab, of being responsible for the high levels of winter pollution in Delhi with unchecked burning of stubble taking place in these states. With reins of Punjab now in AAP's hands, BJP has taken to attacking the Kejriwal-led party. North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari accused Kejriwal of having a "casual approach" towards the issue of air pollution. "What is this @ArvindKejriwal? Delhi is suffering because of you and your casual approach towards governance! Every year it is the same story & same excuses, now you have a full fledge (sic) punjab govt under you but still delhi (sic) continues to suffer When will you start working for delhi (sic)?" Tiwari said in a tweet, sharing pictures of ...

As pollution level surges in Delhi-NCR, CAQM to tighten checks on polluters

According to CAQM data, as of September 30, a total of 8,270 sites had been inspected since August 2021

Will take 4-5 years to resolve stubble burning issue: Punjab pollution body

Crop diversification is not a long-term solution to the problem of stubble burning and it will take four to five years to properly resolve the issue, a senior official of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has said. Crop diversification and using short duration varieties of paddy are among several initiatives proposed by the Centre and experts to resolve the stubble burning issue in Punjab and Haryana. At a workshop organised by the Delhi-based Climate Trends in Chandigarh on Monday, PPCB Member Secretary Krunesh Garg said counting the number of farm fires is an inaccurate measure of ascertaining the scale of stubble burning and that the acreage of land being put on fire is the parameter to be measured. It's not that the problem is not being addressed, we are mapping it down to the block and village level, but it will take four-five years for proper resolution," Garg said. The area under paddy cultivation in Punjab has increased from 29.61 lakh hectares in last year to 31.13

CPCB readies 40 teams to track polluters as NCR air quality worsens

Newly formed teams to help implement preemptive measure under revised GRAP; Delhi govt has created 300 separate teams

Centre concerned over Punjab's preparedness towards air quality management

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday expressed concern and dissatisfaction with the Punjab government's preparedness towards air quality management and noted a huge gap in the state's plan for stubble management. At a review meeting, Yadav said the Punjab government has not planned adequately for management of almost 5.75 million tons of stubble in the state which may have an adverse impact on the air quality in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR). He directed the governments of Punjab and NCR states to ensure timely and effective implementation of various components of the detailed plan of actions developed for the management of paddy stubble burning, the ministry said in a statement after the meeting. Yadav held a detailed review meeting on the measures and actions planned towards abatement of air pollution by all stakeholders concerned in the NCR region and adjoining areas in the wake of poor air quality conditions generally prevailing between October and

Reducing air pollution: Stubble burning needs economic solutions

Fortunately, there is no dearth of potential gainful uses of crop residues

Stubble burning: Unhappy with Punjab govt plan, farmers want compensation

Farmers have indicated that they will continue with the practice unless the govt compensates them suitably for the expenses they will incur by adopting alternative methods of disposing of crop residue

From awareness to engaging students: Punjab plans its stubble-burning fight

The Punjab government has prepared an elaborate plan involving a massive awareness drive, distribution of thousands of crop residue management machines and engaging students and religious places to fight paddy stubble burning during the upcoming harvest season. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana after the harvest is one of the major reasons for an alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November every year. "We are launching a massive awareness drive in villages to motivate farmers not to burn paddy stubble. It will involve 2,800 camps in villages across the state to dissuade farmers from burning the crop residue," Punjab Agriculture Director Gurwinder Singh said. Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonnes of paddy straw annually. Farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue so that the field is ready for the next Rabi crop (wheat), given the short window between the two crops. With pollution level in Delhi shootin

Punjab, Delhi AAP governments join hands to combat stubble burning

AAP governments in Punjab and Delhi have come together to combat stubble burning, for which they will soon be launching a pilot project to manage crop residue. Under the project, a bio decomposer will be sprayed on 5,000 acres in the state, an official statement said on Thursday. Punjab Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said high-level meetings were held in New Delhi over the issue. On Wednesday, Dhaliwal met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the management of the pollution caused by stubble burning. Later, he held deliberations with Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai. According to the statement, the pilot project will be launched jointly by governments of both states. The Punjab agriculture minister said under the process, a Pusa bio decomposer will be sprayed on stubble following which the crop residue gets mixed in the soil. He said the Punjab government has made adequate preparations to prevent pollution caused by paddy stubble.