With more paddy sown this year, the problem of stubble burning is only going to get worse

Winter is round the corner so are the fears of pollution. It is almost a routine now that every winter the Air Quality Index reads "leave Delhi now" yet nothing concretely gets done to ward it off permanently. Barring a few cosmetic changes and lip service Delhites fend for themselves and this includes children, old, and asthma patients. The biggest two culprits remain vehicular pollution which remains on the ground in winter and stubble burning in the fields of neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. Of the two if stubble burning is taken care of we would have much better air quality as it is one of the most dominant factors in air pollution in Delhi. Winter is the time when paddy is harvested and the crop residue burnt to prepare the land for the next crop. Since it takes place in Punjab and Haryana its impact is felt in Delhi, the blame game starts and the issue becomes politicised. However this time there is the same AAP government in both Delhi and Punjab it would be interesting to see how AAP copes with this menace. The problem is compounded by the fact that farmers use 'harvesters' that leave stubs more than a foot long.

The solution is not that easy though AAP has claimed to have zeroed in on a chemical that if sprayed on stubble dissolves it and is good for the land. But how good the preparation to deliver it on the ground remains to be seen. In fact, the work of data collection of fields burning stubble may take years, so there is no respite for now. Paddy was grown in around 31.13 lakh hectares this year which is an increase from 29.61 lakh hectares in 2021, resulting in 19.76 million ton paddy straw generation this year so one can imagine the result of this huge quantity going into smoke this year. It is not that the solutions are not there - briquettes for power plants, converting the stubble into compressed bio-gas, powering brick kilns, etc. are viable solutions but would need the political will to implement across the paddy sowing states. All said and done it boils down to one fact and that is farmers' awareness. If the message could be effectively sent across about the ill effects of stubble burning to the farmers and how they could actually earn more without burning the stubs they would be interested in making their behavioural pattern. Besides, there are farmers who have benefitted by doing so and they could be role models for others to emulate.