24,000 farm fires reported from Punjab and Haryana
CHANDIGARH: Over 19,860 cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab and over 4,200 in Haryana so far this season.
Officials of the Punjab agriculture department and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) are hopeful that the number this time would fall from the last year’s total of 50,495.
However, comparing the number of farm fires this time last year, then 2019 has already seen 33% more fires.
Punjab’s Tarn Taran district reported the highest number of cases at 2,520, followed by Ferozpur (2,269) and Sangrur (2,157). Pathankot reported least number of cases (2).
So far, the state’s farmers have harvested 110 lakh tonne of paddy with about 70 lakh tonne more remaining. As per reports of the agriculture department 34 lakh acres have been cleared of the stubble and rest 18 lakh acres is expected within a week to 10 days. “It means two-third harvest is over and so is the number of burning cases. We hope to end up with burning cases much less than that of the previous year,” said secretary agriculture KS Pannu.
Member secretary Krunesh Garg is also hopeful that the number of cases of stubble burning will come down this season.
Stubble burning is hurting the air quality in Punjab too. Patiala district reported 1,931 cases of stubble burning and its air quality index (AQI) was touching 281. Most parts of the state AQI level hovered around 250 mark categorized as “poor” as per pollution norms.
Farmers say with wheat expected to be sown by November 15, there are chances that the number of stubble fires will go up.
Harinder Singh Lakhowal of a faction of Bharatiya kisan union (BKU), said that farmers are burning stubble because there is no solution as the machinery given on subsidy in not sufficient. “We demand that a bonus of RS. 100 per quintal be given to farmers for stubble management,” added Lakhowal.
In Haryana, 4,200 cases of stubble burning has badly hit the air quality in at least nine districts of the state. .
Cases of stubble burning are being reported from all main paddy sowing districts of Karnal, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Hisar, Jind, Palwal and Panipat where about 13 lakh hectare was under paddy cultivation this year. About 50 % of the crop has been harvested so far, says agriculture department joint director J R Dandi.
Haryana pollution control board’s member secretary S Narayanan agrees that the air quality in and around these areas were affected.
Air quality on Thursday was “severe” in Jind (479) and “very poor” in Rohtak (379). It was “poor” in Sonepat (269), Jhajjar (254), Sirsa (242), Karnal (237), Faridabad (225), Hisar (222) and Bhiwani (201).
Narayanan, however, there has been a marginal reduction in the incidence of stubble burning (4,200 cases in 2019 against 4,360 in 2018 till October 30).
AAP PROTEST
Many AAP workers, led by members of the legislative assembly (MLAS), protested at Mandi House on Thursday against alleged increase in instances of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana which, they said, contributes to air pollution in Delhi during winter.
The Delhi unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress dismissed the AAP’S claim and accused the Delhi government of passing the burden of pollution to neighbouring states, after failing to control local sources of air pollution in the city.