Stubble Trouble

  • November 11, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Stubble Trouble

Subject: Environment

Section: Awards

Context:

  • Every year, in October­ November, pollution levels spike in north India. While many factors come together to create smog, stubble burning remains a significant one, despite fewer incidents being recorded this year.

What is stubble burning?

  • A Practice of removing agricultural waste from the field by setting on fire the straw stubble (parali) that is left on the land after harvesting of grains like paddy, wheat etc.
  • Region: Mainly in the Indo-Gangetic plains of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
  • A Crime: Burning crop residue is a crime under Section 188 of the IPC and under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.

Problems related to stubble burning

  • Air Pollution: Each year, air pollution levels rise due to stubble burning and the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches a ‘severe’ and ‘hazardous’ level.
  • Heat Penetration: Stubble burning generates heat that penetrates the soil, causing an increase in soil erosion, loss of useful microbes and moisture, leading to soil degradation and its fertility.
  • Lack of Political Will: As farmers are an important political constituency, the state government adopted a soft approach.
  • Lack of Viable Alternatives: Although farmer outfits in Punjab are against the burning of stubble, they would continue it without a viable alternative or financial incentive.
  • Harmful Health Impacts: Stubble burning emits toxic pollutants in the atmosphere containing harmful gasses like Carbon Monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds (VOC).
  • Global Warming: Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) lead to global warming. These are also responsible for the haze in Delhi and the melting of Himalayan glaciers.

Solution for stubble burning issue

  • Need to subsidize innovative farm technologies like happy seeder, rotavator, baler, paddy straw chopper, etc. are costly but they could help farmers to manage crop residues effectively.
  • It’s time to use new and improved seed varieties like Pusa Basmati-1509 and PR-126, which mature quickly and also improve the quality of the soil. Using Bio-Waste Decomposers which increase the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR).
  • Sustainable farm management practices, which could not only manage the crop residues but also help control GreenHouse Gases emissions.
  • Educating and Empowering the Stakeholders is important for better utilization of agricultural waste for financial and environmental gains.
  • Need to adopt best practices of other state governments like:
  • The Punjab government instructed brick kiln owners to replace at least 20 percent of coal with paddy straw pellets for fuel.
  • In Chhattisgarh Gauthans Model, the paddy growers donate the crop residues in thousands of Gauthans  (cattle shed premises for conservation and augmenting livestock) where it is used as fodder.

Government’s action to tackle the problems associated with stubble burning?

  • National Policy for Management of Crop Residues for control of burning of crop residue by promotion of in-situ management (incorporation in soil, mulching) of crop residue.
  • Waste to Energy Programme under the National Bioenergy Programme for the generation of biogas, bioCNG, power, and syngas from urban, industrial and agricultural residues.
  • Crop Residue Management Guidelines for efficient ex-situ management of paddy straw e.g. Pusa bio-decomposer.
What is the ‘Pusa Decomposer’?

It is essentially a fungi-based liquid solution that can soften hard stubble to the extent that it can be easily mixed with soil in the field to act as compost. This would then rule out the need to burn the stubble, and also help in retaining the essential microbes and nutrients in soil that are otherwise damaged when the residue is burned.

How long does it take for the decomposer to work?

The window of time required for the solution to work, which is currently the main concern of farmers, is around 20 to 25 days, as per the IARI. Farmers argue that this window is too long for them, as they ideally wait about a week or 10 days after harvesting the non-basmati variety of rice — which leaves hard stubble — to sow the wheat crop. IARI scientists, however, say that farmers do not necessarily have to plant the next crop in a rush — and that 20-25 days is enough waiting time.

Conclusion

  • Addressing the challenge of stubble burning requires a collaborative effort, emphasizing innovative technologies, government initiatives, and sustainable farming practices.
  • In 2014, the Union government released the National Policy for Management of Crop Residue. Since then, crop residue management has helped make the soil more fertile, thereby resulting in savings of Rs 2,000/hectare from the farmer’s manure cost.
  • Farmers can also manage crop residues effectively by employing agricultural machines like:
    • Happy Seeder(used for sowing of crop in standing stubble)
    • Rotavator (used for land preparation and incorporation of crop stubble in the soil)
    • Zero till seed drill (used for land preparations directly sowing of seeds in the previous crop stubble)
    • Baler (used for collection of straw and making bales of the paddy stubble)
    • Paddy Straw Chopper (cutting of paddy stubble for easily mixing with the soil)
    • Reaper Binder (used for harvesting paddy stubble and making into bundles)
Environment Stubble Trouble