Paddy stubble decomposer trials in Punjab fail to impress-
- October 4, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
No Comments
Paddy stubble decomposer trials in Punjab fail to impress-
Subject :Environment
Context:
- The workshop was organised by Delhi-based organisation Climate Trends, which works on environment-related communications and capacity-building initiatives, Panjab University, and PGIMER, Chandigarh.
- The results of trials in previous years of bio-decomposers to decompose paddy stubble after the kharif harvest “are not very encouraging” and “overall decomposition was not very significant”, as per a presentation made by Punjab Pollution Control Board.
- During the kharif season last year, bio-decomposers were used on an area of 7,000 acres.
- In 2020-21, two bio-decomposers were evaluated at five locations “but the overall decomposition” was not significant.
- This year, trials will be organised collectively by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Punjab Agricultural University, IARI and private players to “help all stakeholders to arrive at a common viewpoint regarding bio-decomposer effectiveness in the State”.
- After a discussion with the Delhi government, which has been spraying the decomposer on paddy stubble in the city for the past two years and has announced another round this year, Punjab government announced last month that the decomposer would be sprayed on 5,000 acres of farmland in Punjab this year.
Present situation–
- This year, the paddy crop has been grown on around 31.13 lakh hectares in Punjab, up from 29.61 lakh hectares in 2021, with the increase being mainly in areas under non-basmati cultivation.
- Consequently, the paddy straw generated this year is also going to be a little higher – 19.76 million tonnes compared to 18.75 million tonnes last year.
- After the harvest, stubble burning to clear the land before the next crop is sown contributes to air pollution levels in the NCR in winter.
- The burnt area last year was 14.17 lakh hectares, which is around 47% of the total area sown with paddy.
- This is lower than the 17.42 lakh hectares burnt in 2020.
- The highest burnt area last year was in Patiala, followed by Sangrur and Ludhiana.
Strategy to manage stubble residue–
- According to an action plan that was prepared by the government of Punjab to prevent and control stubble burning and was submitted to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the ‘strategies’ to prevent crop residue burning include increasing utilisation of crop residue management machinery and providing “door-step access” of such machinery to small and marginal farmers.
- On ex-situ management, the Punjab PCB has said that around 12.91 lakh tonnes of paddy straw was being used in industrial boilers and biomass-based power plants and compressed biogas plants.
- The total expected usage this year by December is around 21.06 lakh tonnes, with thermal power plants set to use around 4.25 lakh tonnes of paddy straw this year.