45% SPIKE IN FARM FIRES IN PUNJAB
NO LET-UP As per PPCB data, Punjab reported 630 incidents of stubble burning till Oct 11 this year, as compared to 435 last year
NEWDELHI: The paddy harvesting season has started in Punjab and the state has already recorded a 45% increase in stubble burning incidents till October 11, but the administration hopes the farm fire count will come down gradually as a result of intensive interventions made this year.
The period between October 15 and November 15 is considered critical as most farmers harvest paddy during this time. According to data from Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the state had recorded 435 incidents of stubble burning till October 11 last year. This year, the figure has shot up to 630.
Amritsar alone has reported 295 incidents of farm fires during the period. Tarn Taran and Patiala have recorded 126 and 57 cases, respectively.
Punjab agriculture secretary KS Pannu said the fires detected by satellites don’t give a clear picture of the stubble burning incidents. “Satellite data also include fires at cremation grounds and dump yards. The number of farm fires in Punjab at present is almost negligible. The overall count this year will be less than last year,” he said.
Pannu said that according to the Centre’s data, stubble burning incidents in Punjab from October 1 to 10 reduced from 1,714 in 2016 to 430 in 2019.
The Punjab government provided 28,000 farm implements, such as happy seeder, super straw management system, paddy straw chopper and mulcher to farmers and cooperative societies on subsidised rates in 2018 and sanctioned 23,000 more this year, he said. “15,000 machines have already been disbursed,” he said.
Farmers claim it is unimaginable for everyone to buy expensive modern farm machinery to manage stubble. They say rent ing them is also unaffordable due to rising diesel prices.
Pannu said a financial incentive of ₹100 per quintal of paddy can resolve the problem once and for all. “On an average, a farmer reaps 28-30 quintals of rice on an acre. ₹100 per quintal will mean ₹2,800 to ₹3,000 per farmer per acre which is sufficient to cover the fuel cost for using machines,” he said.
“The Punjab government is also conducting an awareness drive, which includes meetings with farmers, radio jingles, and public advertisements on TV and in the print media,” he said.
The PPCB as also roped in around 1.2 lakh NSS volunteers from state government universities in the awareness campaign.
“We have formed around 6,000 teams, with 20 members each, which have been visiting every village in the state and persuading farmers against burning crop residue,” PPCB chairman SS Marwah said.
He said Delhi itself is “responsible for its bad air and Punjab’s contribution to its pollution is insignificant.”
After oscillating between “satisfactory and moderate” categories till October 9, the national capital’s air quality turned “poor” for the first time on Thursday, two days after effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakaran were burnt on Dussehra.
The Delhi chief minister on Friday blamed stubble burning in neighbouring states for Delhi’s deteriorating air quality and hoped the respective state governments would take necessary steps to check it.
Satellites don’t give a clear picture of stubble burning incidents. Currently, the number of farm fires in Punjab is almost negligible.
KS PANNU, secretary, Agriculture, Punjab