Page 8 - Stubble Burning

Crop burning emissions rose 75% from 2011-2020, finds IISER study

The study pinpointed Punjab as the highest emitter, with 27 per cent of its cultivated area burned in 2020, followed closely by Madhya Pradesh during the same period

Punjab to give 24,000 crop residue management machines for coming season

The Punjab Agriculture Department will provide 24,000 crop residue management machines in the coming harvesting season to check stubble burning incidents in the state, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Wednesday. Khudian said the department has received as many as 1,58,394 applications from farmers to avail subsidy for Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery. He said the department will provide Super SMS, happy seeder, paddy straw chopper, mulcher, smart seeder, zero till drill, surface seeder, super seeder, crop reaper, shrub master for in-situ management (mixing crop residue in fields) and baler and straw rake for ex-situ management (using stubble as fuel) of the paddy residue. During the last year, the state was able to reduce stubble-burning cases by 30 per cent, he said. The department had prepared a Rs 350 crore action plan for providing CRM on subsidy for the 2023 Kharif season. The applications for availing subsidy were invited via an online portal to ensu

Delhi govt demands joint meeting of NCR states on stubble burning

On efforts undertaken by the Delhi govt to curb air pollution, Gopal Rai said, "Delhi govt taking various steps under Winter Action Plan to reduce pollution, such as spraying of Pusa biodecomposer''

Centre aims zero stubble burning in current season: Agriculture Minister

The Centre aims to work towards achieving zero paddy stubble burning incidents in the current season, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday. To achieve this, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi governments presented their action plan and strategies for preventing paddy stubble burning at an inter-ministerial meeting on Thursday. Stubble burning is a process of setting on fire the straw stubble, left after the harvesting of paddy. It is a common practice in October and November primarily in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. "The aim in the current season is to work towards achieving zero stubble burning," Tomar said. The Centre is providing sufficient funds under Crop Residue Management (CRM)scheme to the four states and they must ensure proper utilization by providing machine to farmers in a timely manner, he said in a statement. There is a need for proper monitoring at the state level to ensure proper utilization of the machines and the use of ...

'Haryana taking steps to convert paddy straw in income source for farmers'

Haryana has been implementing proactive measures to transform paddy straw, which was once seen as an environmental hazard, into a valuable source to enhance farmers' income, Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal said on Thursday. These measures include the announcement of a common determined rate (CDR) of Rs 2,500 per metric tonne for paddy straw, as well as the continued provision of financial support for in-situ/ex-situ techniques and the Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technique in paddy cultivation, he said. Additionally, Haryana has successfully reduced farm fires by about 40 per cent as compared to the previous year, Kaushal said. These efforts underscore Haryana's commitment to sustainable agricultural practices and its dedication to mitigate environmental challenges. A meeting was conducted by Kaushal along with Chairman of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), M M Kutty to review the state's actions plan and preparedness for tackling paddy straw burning. Additional Chief .

Basmati farmlands in Jammu adopt reaper tech to get rid of stubble menace

India's basmati-rich agriculture fields in Jammu and Kashmir's R S Pura border belt have adopted a new technology, wherein modified reapers are used to get rid of the menace of stubble burning. The department of agriculture (DoA) has introduced modified reapers to cut stubble and convert it into fodder. "The use of reapers will not only end farm fire and pollution but also create fodder for cattle," Manager, Seed Multiplication Farm Chakrohi, Rakesh Khanjuria told PTI. Khajuria said that use of new technology not only prevents pollution, farm fires and destruction of minerals in soil and insects, but creates fodder for cattle of the region and employment for the local youth. Officials said that the introduction of reapers to create fodder instead of pollution should be introduced not only in the entire J&K but also in Punjab and Haryana. "Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, where such incidents are increasingly taking place, should adopt this (reaper technology of stable chopping). It ...

No more farm fires

Govt must not let agri protests escalate

Punjab to reduce paddy straw burning cases by 50%,says Chief Secy

Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua on Tuesday assured the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) that the state will reduce the fire instances by 50 per cent in comparison with 2022

Delhi govt to run 10-day anti-open burning campaign as pollution spikes

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has directed officials to run a special 10-day anti-open burning campaign in the national capital starting Tuesday in view of the spike in air pollution. Delhi's air quality plunged to the severe category on Monday and the 24-hour average AQI stood at 410 at 4 pm. Pollution levels ameliorated to the very poor category on Tuesday morning at the overall AQI stood at 376 at 11 am. 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. "In view of the increasing pollution, instructions have been given to officials to run 'Anti Open Burning Special Campaign' for the next 10 days," Rai tweeted. He said 611 teams of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Revenue Department, and other government agencies will take action on the ground. The minister also appealed to all the agencies and resident welfare associations of D

To fight deadly smog, farmers are being encouraged to sell crop waste

Smoke from the burning of crop stubble lingers over most of north India for weeks during the cold months of November and December, with air quality deteriorating to hazardous levels in several areas

30% drop In Punjab's stubble burning cases: How reliable is the data?

Experts say cloudy skies in 2022 and farmers only burning part of the stubble could have led to an underestimation of this year's stubble fires

'Centre's bio-decomposer spray led to decline in stubble burning in Punjab'

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday said stubble burning could be reduced in Punjab this year because the Centre got bio-decomposer sprayed in the agrarian state under corporate social responsibility initiatives. Speaking at an event organised by Aaj Tak, he also criticised the AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab for adopting a two-sided approach to curb farm fires, saying they used bio-decomposer, a microbial solution to decompose paddy straw, in the capital but not in the border state. On Monday, the Union Environment Ministry had announced a 30 per cent drop in the number of farm fires in Punjab and a 48 per cent drop in stubble burning incidents in Haryana this season (September 15-November 30). Since 2020, the Delhi government has been using Pusa bio-decomposer to prevent stubble burning in the capital. Farm fires are a major reason behind a spike in air pollution in Delhi-NCR in October-November. Yadav claimed the AAP government in Delhi spent crores of rup

Reduction in active fire counts for kharif season in several north states

The total number of paddy crop residue burning events during September 15-October 30 period in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have come down to 53,792 this year, a reduction of over 31 per cent, compared to the corresponding period in 2021, according to data shared by authorities on Monday. The total active fire counts (for 'kharif' season) in Punjab, Haryana, and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and Delhi for 2021 had stood at 78,550 in 2021. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas in a statement also said that out of the 23 districts of Punjab, the five hotspot districts with maximum number of crop burning events during the current year are Sangrur, Bhatinda, Firozpur, Muktsar and Moga, recording a total of 21,882 fire counts, i.e., 43.83 per cent of the total fire counts during the current year. Only one district reported more than 5,000 fire counts during the current

30% drop in stubble burning incidents in Punjab against last year: Minister

Punjab recorded a 30 per cent drop in stubble burning incidents this season (from September 15 to November 30) as compared to last year, Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said on Wednesday. The state witnessed 49,907 crop residue burning incidents this season as against 71,304 last year, he said. Hayer said stubble burning is not the problem of Punjab alone, it is the problem of the entire country. Despite the Union government rejecting the state government's proposal to provide financial assistance to farmers for not burning paddy straw, the cases of stubble burning have reduced, the minister said. Had there been a positive response from the Centre, there would have been a further reduction in stubble burning incidents, he added. In July, Delhi and Punjab governments had jointly sent a proposal to the Centre and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to help them give Rs 2,500 per acre as cash incentive to farmers in Punjab for not burning stubble. However,

Chhattisgarh govt charts plan to take on stubble burning threat

Under the campaign, the authorities are appealing to farmers to "donate" the paddy stubble to the "gauthans", the livestock sheds

Pb, Haryana farmers sensitised on stubble management to cut air pollution

With its unique stubble management technology to minimise stubble burning, Canadian smart seeder has sensitised farmers in Punjab and Haryana through winter wheat sowing trials

Delhi air quality improves amid sharp drop in stubble burning in farms

Delhi's air quality improved significantly on Tuesday amid a sharp decline in farm fires in Punjab over the last two days. The capital's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 227 on Tuesday. It was 294 on Monday and 303 on Sunday. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. The air quality is likely to improve further on the back of strong winds, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said The city recorded a minimum temperature of 15.4 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 29.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, it said. According to Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) data, Punjab reported 141 farm fires on Tuesday and just four on Monday. A total of 2,467 incidents of stubble burning were reported in the agrarian state on Saturday. The share of farm fires in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution dropped to 3 per cent on Tuesday from 13 per cent on Monday, according to SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Ministry of Earth

The routine air pollution crisis

The fact is Delhi is also part of the pollution problem - its sources of combustion add to the pollution of neighbouring states and theirs to Delhi

Study suggests special incentives for small farmers for stubble management

Special incentives for small farmers to scale up adoption of paddy stubble management measures and an increase in area under short-duration crop varieties are some of the key recommendations the Punjab Agricultural University has made in a new study. The study found that farmers believed the adoption of paddy stubble management raises their financial burden, and also several of them were unaware that in-situ management of paddy straw reduces use of fertilisers, insecticides and weedicides. The Department of Economics and Sociology of the Ludhiana-based PAU conducted an impact assessment study of the central sector scheme for promotion of agricultural mechanisation for in-situ paddy stubble management in Punjab. PAU principal economist Sanjay Kumar said the state government had asked to conduct the study in March last year. Funded by the state agriculture department, the study covered 110 villages in 22 districts of the state, Kumar said. The study selected 2,160 farmers 1,320 ...

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