Change tack on paddy stubble issue, central panel tells state
CHANDIGARH : The Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas’, has asked Punjab to focus on ex-situ management of paddy straw.
This means methods in which the straw is moved from its original place. The most common way is to tie the straw in bundles and supply it as fuel in biomassbased power generation plants, industrial boilers and in coal based-super critical power generating units. To date, the focus has been on cost-intensive in-situ management of straw. The commission, formed in 2020, sent a communique to Punjab government on July 28 to change tack. Experts say ex-situ management involves lower cost. “The commission has asked Punjab to formulate a policy to establish a supply chain system so that stubble is available to the user during the year, for which storage facilities also need to be maintained,” said Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) member secretary Krunesh Garg.
“The state government is advised that paddy straw-based biomass pellets and torrefied charcoal can be used in thermal plants for co-firing up to a blend ratio of 10% without any boiler design modifications,” an advisory from the commission to the state reads.
On July 13, the commission had met organisations such as Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR), along with Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments. Here, the National Thermal Plant Corporation (NTPC) had accepted that paddy straw could be used in 17 plants it runs; this will consume 50 lakh tonne stubble.
Punjab’s science, technology and environment and power departments are working on a proposal to increase for ex-situ management of the paddy straw.
“The commission has suggested using straw in manufacturing ply-board, packaging material and even furniture. The commission has also asked the state and the Centre to make a fund outlay report,” an official said. Over 220 lakh tonne of paddy stubble is produced a year. Biomass power generating plants in the state consume 50 lakh tonnes; of the remaining 170 lakh tonne, 100 lakh tonne is not managed, with the majority of farmers prefer burning it.
Due to high silica content, paddy straw is not used as dry fodder, like wheat straw. During paddy harvest in Oct-Nov, stubble is a major health hazard.
The number of machines (76,590) given to the farmers in the last three years (2018-2020) are insufficient to deal with stubble burning menace, department officials said, adding that the Centre has given Rs 666 crore as subsidy for in-situ management for the past three years. A subsidy of Rs 250 crore has been sanctioned for the current year.
“The window between paddy harvest and wheat sowing is short so stubble can’t be managed with the machines available,” said an official of the agriculture department, adding in the current year, at least 25,000 agro-machines will be given to farmers for in-situ management of paddy residue.
“We are exploring the option of raising funds from Centre’s renewable energy ministry,” Garg, of PPCB, added.