We did start the fire, but no choice: Two states’ farmers
PUNJAB AND HARYANA While farmers understand the impact of setting fire to their farmland, they claim they don’t have access to machines that can help them dispose of stubble in an eco-friendly way; experts call for effective interventions PUNJAB HARYANA
AMRITSAR/TARNTARAN/KARNAL/KURUKSHETRA/ FATEHABAD: In Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, 67-year-old Gurnam Singh stepped onto his two-acre field that had tufts of dry shoots, remnants of the paddy (rice crop) that he had harvested earlier in the month.
It was nearing midday and the morning dew had evaporated.
“It’s already a bit late. I have to sow wheat now to harvest in April,” said Singh as he set his field on fire.
The green and gold fields ripe for harvest on either side of the national highway-54 that bordered Singh’s field was turning black from the soot.
Singh’s field is one that he took on rent to grow his crops. He spends almost ₹1 lakh a year to earn just ₹20,000 in profits a year. He knew there was a ban on burning the crop residue. He knew too that the government had subsidised equipment to help farmers deal with the stubble without burning them.
“I had applied for the equipment in September that the government said would help clear the stubble,” he said. “I was asked to come back a few days later as the machine was already rented by another farmer. But when I did, I got the same response: ‘come back in a few days, another farmer has it’. I couldn’t go on like this. I can’t delay sowing the next crop. Hence, I had to put this fire.”
The machine he is talking about has two parts: the Straw Management System (SMS) that levels the field by flattening the stubble shoots, and the “Happy Seeder” that sows wheat into the soil.
In the market, the two systems cost over ₹6 lakh.
To promote the machines and alleviate the burden on the farmers, the Centre had provided ₹1,151.80 crore to farmers in Haryana, Punjab, UP and Rajasthan under a centrally sponsored scheme, the Agricultural Mechanisation for in-situ Management of Crop Residues.
The scheme allows individual farmers 50% subsidy and farmers’ cooperatives, self-help groups, registered societies and other entrepreneurs looking to set up a custom hiring centres (CHC) 80% subsidy on the purchase of these machines.
Rattan Singh Mann, from Haryana’s Bharatiya Kisan Union, said farmers can rent the Happy Seeder and the SMS at a cost of ₹3,400 per acre. “If there is a cheap and effective alternative to burning stubble why will farmers not adopt that? The problem is that the subsidies are not reaching small farmers,” Mann said.
Most other farmers in villages across Punjab and Haryana, that Hindustan Times spoke to, said the machines to remove the stubble were accessible only to a group of “well-off”.
Harcharan Singh, who owns an acre in Shivpuri Village, talks about another problem: the Happy Seeders require tall tractors to be mounted on.
“Most farmers like me don’t own such tractors. Hiring them will eat up into our profits,” Singh said. “Farming itself is a dying profession. We don’t get the desired return for our hard work. Setting the field on fire is the easiest and cheapest option for us. And why is the government after poor farmers, what about the polluting vehicles and the industrial fumes?”
A senior official from the Punjab agricultural department said, “We have formed cooperatives and asked village heads to ensure everyone gets the machine. One set of equipment is given per cooperative. Also, we keep organising awareness programmes, but it will take some time for things to change. There are many who have stopped the stubble burn
ing practice altogether.”
PUNJAB
In Punjab, between September 25 and October 17 this year, there were 1,631 incidents of crop stubble burning in comparison to 1,198 between September 25 and October 17 in 2018, according to data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board. Tarn Taran, along with Amritsar and Patiala, account for the highest number of crop residue burning incidents this year in Punjab, according to officials from PPCB.
The dates vary every year for satellite monitoring, which depend on the harvest of paddy varieties. This year, some of the Basmati varieties were sown earlier and hence the early harvest.
“At present, it seems there is a spurt in the number of paddy stubble burning cases in the Majha region comprising districts such as Amritsar and Tarn Taran, which have so far reported highest incidents of burning. But the peak harvest season between October 15 and November 1 is yet to be seen to assess the trend and draw any comparison with past years,” said a senior PPCB official.
HARYANA
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) noted that this year, there has been a spike in number of cases of crop stubble burning.
Satellite monitoring showed that between September 25 and October 17, 1,571 such cases were spotted. Last year, 1,346 crop residue burning instances were reported in the same period.
S Narayanan, member secretary, Haryana SPCB said that Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Jind districts are on top of the list in crop stubble burning cases. “We have been monitoring the farmlands very closely. It is also important to note that even though the numbers are higher, the burnt area has reduced. Even last year, there was a 25% reduction in burnt area,” he said.
Officials from the Haryana government said that the situation was likely to deteriorate in the coming days. Only 82 FIRS had been registered against erring farmers till October 17. This has been attributed to some extent to the recently concluded election season in the state.
“There is definitely the case that the government officials as well as the police were busy with election duties, but there is also political pressure. Farmers account for a large vote share here. Stubble burning cases are likely to get worse towards the end of October,” said a senior Haryana government official.
Sohanlal, a farmer from Assandh Village in Haryana, said that compared to last year, inspections on the ground were less visible. “Last year, the inspections were very strict. Many farmers from this area were fined between ₹3,000 to ₹15,000 for burning stubble in their fields. This time, there seems to be some leniency. That could also be because the harvest season has just begun. The people who have to find a way to get things done, they do,” he said.
HOW IT AFFECTS DELHI
Smoke from the burning of biomass in Punjab and Haryana has been known to contribute to a spike in pollution levels in Delhi during this time of the year, as winds blow from the northwest. That and the near absence of any surface winds results in trapping the fine particulate matter within the highly urbanised capital city.
According to an analysis by a team of scientists at Iit-delhi’s Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air (CERCA), at least 10 districts of Punjab and five of Haryana contribute 62% of the total stubble burning emissions, which reach Delhi
Worst affected districts
Amritsar
Tarn Taran
Firozpur
Faridkot
Muktsar
of SO2
of particulate matter
of CO
Sirsa
of ash
Bathinda
Mansa
Ludhiana
Sangrur
Paddy straw contains (per hectare)
depending on the meteorological conditions. “Punjab contributes around 44% of total residue burning emissions while those in Haryana account for approximately 17%,” said the analysis presented by Sagnik Dey, associate professor, of IITDelhi’s Centre for Atmospheric Sciences during a recent conference.
The analysis is based on satellite data, latest emission inventory and available scientific knowledge. “We have identified top 500 villages each in Punjab and Haryana based on the data in 2017 and 2018 to facilitate action on ground,” said Dey.
The analysis shows that the difference in PM2.5 during the first pollution episode in Delhi increases with a rise in peak fire count in the upwind regions of Haryana
Patiala
Kurukshetra
Kaithal
Jind
Chandigarh
Karnal
DELHI
and Punjab.
Mechanisation of harvesting: The harvesters are designed to shave off the grainy part of paddy, leaving loose straw in their wake.
Expensive: Farmers find it cheaper to clear the residue by burning, instead of hiring Happy Seeders and Straw Management Systems.
Small window between paddy and wheat cultivation: The preservation of sub-soil water act has narrowed the window between the cultivation of paddy (June to October) and wheat (October to April)
The National Green Tribunal had in 2015, banned burning of paddy straw, with fines ranging from ~2,500 to ~15,000
The Punjab and Haryana High Court in September this year restrained states from recovering penalties from farmers for burning stubble. The move had come after a group of farmers, Bharti Kissan Union, approached the court over the issue.
HOW IT AFFECTS FARMERS Farmers said they are not able to sell paddy on the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹1,835 per quintal (100 kg) fixed by the government.
“We are suffering losses on the produce itself. There are so many brokers and middlemen...it’s just not possible to spend another few thousands on hiring farm equipment,” said Harpal Singh, who owns four acres.
Experts said that while enforcement is important, effective solutions will only come if steps are taken to ensure disbursement of subsidies for the purchase of the Happy Seeders and the SMS.