It is 5 am. My morning tea at the khoka (shack) on the outskirts of Sirhind, about 50 km from Chandigarh, is an eye-opener. “Aine swere, kaka ji, kithe noon (Hey kid, where are you off to early in the morning)?” Seventy-year-old Jagtar Singh sounds more concerned than curious, his tone exuding a warmth distinctive of his generation of Punjabis. Would he know anything about the stubble-burning that’s currently bringing a bad name to his State, I wonder.
According to a Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) survey, 32 per cent of Punjab’s farmers admit to burning crop residue. The unofficial figure could be much higher. Coming, as it does, immediately after autumn and just ahead of winter, the smoke turns into a thick smog that causes respiratory ailments across a large swathe of northern India, including Delhi.
After years of hand-wringing by the government, environmental activists and health experts over the deleterious effects of this practice, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had, in 2005, imposed a ban on stubble-burning and fixed penalties for violations. However, the problem continues to spiral out of control year after year. The Punjab towns on National Highway 1 — Sirhind, Khanna, Doraha, Sahnewala, Ludhiana, Phillaur, Phagwara, Jallandhar, Amritsar — bear most of the brunt. As per data from air monitoring stations, the respirable suspended particulate material (RSPM) in Punjab stands at 328 microgram per cubic metre (µg/m3), which is beyond the safe limit; the worst-off in the State being Ludhiana (377 µg/m3), Amritsar (333 µg/m3) and Mandi Gobindgarh (273 µg/m3).
“It is an age-old practice,” says the septuagenarian when I complain about the less-than-agreeable morning air, despite the pleasant seasonal chill, as we sip chai near the fields on the highway. Data from Punjab Remote Sensing Centre at Ludhiana shows a shocking increase of over 19,000 instances of stubble- burning in the last three days (October 29 to 31) across the State.
The NGT’s interposition had brought the practice to the forefront of public attention. The Tribunal had noted that it was common in Punjab, UP, Rajasthan and Haryana — all with two or more growing seasons: May to September and November to April. “The farmers often set fire to the fields to clear them of crop residue. The standing straw is burnt to clear the fields,” it said, adding that the burning is in preparation for the sowing of wheat.
The NGT order also mentioned the spike in carbon dioxide levels by 70 per cent during this time: “The concentration of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide rises by 7 per cent and 2.1 per cent, respectively, triggering respiratory and heart problems. Also, it was stated that soil loses 6-7 kg nitrogen per tonne, 1-1.7 kg phosphorus, 14-25 kg potassium and 1.2-1.5 kg sulphur due to stubble burning.” The State governments and the Centre were asked to take up measures to tackle these problems.
At the October 30 NGT hearing in New Delhi, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) reported a 30 per cent drop in residue-burning from last year.
Right there, in the field
It is definitely not a simple cause-and-effect story for the tillers. Chandigarh-based Uvi, a farmer for the past 27 years, thinks the cooperative society clustering of villages will help. “For a poorly educated farmer, with no money and in a hurry to grow his next crop within a window of merely 20 days, it is easier to light a match that costs five bucks and be rid of the burden in minutes. Why endure painful options, however ecologically safe and correct?”
Gurprakash Singh, in his forties, is not a stereotypical farmer. He quit his job in Chandigarh to work in the farms, and says categorically: “Nobody is ready to help the farmer of Punjab.”
Having ploughed his nine acres for years, he thinks the government needs to do more to push for changes, as most farmers are neither qualified nor educated to understand and deal with the intricacies of rules. It would be wrong to say their expectations from the government are unreasonable. Pargat Singh, who owns 15 acres in Meemsa village in Sangrur district, questions the State’s commitment to providing ₹10 lakh for baler(s), which was to be made available as per the NGT’s order. “Two years gone and nothing has happened,” he says, his tone irritable.
Many have complaints, but there are a few positive notes as well. Bhupinder Singh, who holds 29 acres in Dadanpur of Mohali district, considers technology a boon.
“To an extent, satellite imagery helps curb the practice,” he explains. The efforts of a few institutions are noteworthy. Training programmes and camps organised by the PAU have helped create awareness and suggested solutions and alternatives. “As a result, stubble-burning in the district has gone down by 70 per cent,” claims Bhupinder, who is into multi-crop farming.
Ranbir Singh, an agriculturalist who relocated from the US to Chandigarh, disagrees. “Firstly, the State initiatives are not feasible for small farmers with holdings of two to five acres. Secondly, improper rates of crops (MSP) is a concern.”
He remains cynical, “Most farmers are opting for quick remedies; one needs to address vital concerns such as growing four crops a year, the changing weather conditions which are affecting the crop cycle and the need to save time. Moreover, the primitive irrigation systems prevalent in Punjab make the existing scenario a catch-22 situation. If no heed is paid now, in the next 25 years, Punjab will turn into a desert,” he warns.
Undoubtedly the farming community is concerned, and not merely about their own affairs. Farmer Harsharan Singh, while retorting to a unionist who advocated the burning, says: “Are we going to leave non-inhalable air for our children and their children?” He has three to four acres in Mohali dedicated for mulching garlic, turmeric, potatoes and onions.
Somewhere in the chorus are voices that say that the practice wouldn’t have been given a thought had it not imperilled the health and well-being in the National Capital Region.
Solutions, no rocket science
While the NGT’s whip is an essential and important catalyst to get things done, some concrete efforts need to be visible on the ground. Balwinder Singh Sidhu, commissioner, agriculture in the Punjab government, says: “The government is seized of the problem.” While acknowledging the gravity of the situation, Sidhu says, “Even before the intervention by the Tribunal, several programmes and initiatives along with sufficient provisions have been implemented for the farmers of Punjab to combat this stubble-burning issue.” Nevertheless, it is no secret that Punjab has been facing a cash crunch for a while now. Between farmer suicides and non-payment of salaries to government employees across several departments, the State’s economy is in a shambles.
However, Vikram Aditya Ahuja, who runs the Fazilka-based NGO Zamindara Pvt Ltd, assures there are solutions, though they are “region-specific”. “One is to collect the stubble and use it as animal feed or send it to ethanol plants for use. One could also allow the stubble to stand and sow the other crop in between, or chop it and turn it into powder and sow another crop on it, which means putting it back into the soil.” He underscores the importance of government-private partnerships or engaging with private agencies, including international set-ups, for know-how.
Sanjeev Nagpal, of NASA Agro Pvt Ltd in Fazilka, agrees. Paddy straw, he says, can be converted into manure or compost fertiliser, which will not just curtail air pollution but also help save water with its retention property. “It provides resistance to sheath blight, fungal brown spot, fungal rice blast, rice leaf folder, stem borer and plant hoppers. It enhances UV tolerance and adapts to global warming. Making compost is the most advantageous of all the possible uses of paddy straw management,” he adds.
While an aerial view of the scenario may appear dismal and indicate the pitiful state of affairs, it is not unfair to say that the issue calls for collective responsibility from all stakeholders. If, on the one hand, the State is liable to provide measures and incentives to the farmers, irrespective of how big or small they are, the field men need to walk an extra mile to nurture not just their crop but the environment as well.
Suparna-Saraswati Puriis a Chandigarh-based freelance writer