Why Stubble Fires Keep Coming Back, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• Stubble burning in North India, particularly Punjab and Haryana, is a significant contributor to air pollution.
• The Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009 (PPSSWA 2009), by delaying paddy transplantation, inadvertently shortened the window for field preparation.
• This narrow window, coupled with the use of combine harvesters, compels farmers to burn crop residue quickly.
• The Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement system for rice and wheat heavily incentivize their cultivation, discouraging crop diversification.
• Technical solutions like Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines and ex-situ options face economic and logistical barriers for farmers.
• Measurement of stubble burning incidents is challenged by farmers shifting burning times to avoid detection by polar satellites.

Stubble Burning.jpg

Detailed Insights:

• Stubble burning releases harmful pollutants such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds, adversely affecting human health.
• It also severely degrades soil health by depleting essential nutrients and organic content, necessitating increased fertilizer use.
• The PPSSWA 2009 was enacted to address severe groundwater depletion in Punjab, where water levels were declining rapidly.
• The Act's restrictions on paddy sowing and transplantation pushed harvesting into late October and early November.
• The cultivation of long-duration paddy varieties like PUSA-44 further reduces the critical time available between crop cycles.
• High government procurement rates for paddy and wheat in Punjab and Haryana, significantly above the national average, disincentivize crop diversification.
• Subsidized or free electricity for agriculture in these states further encourages the cultivation of water-intensive crops.
• In-situ crop residue management involves integrating residue into the soil using machines like Happy Seeders, while ex-situ management utilizes stubble for bio-energy.
• The National Green Tribunal and Supreme Court have upheld the exclusion of stubble-burning farmers from MSP benefits.
• Haryana has adopted an incentive-based approach, providing financial support for CRM use, direct seeding, and crop diversification.
• The CREAMS protocol, relying on polar satellites, may undercount actual burning incidents as farmers adjust their schedules.
• Scientists from ISRO recommend integrating both polar and geostationary satellite data for a more accurate assessment of stubble burning.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Stubble Burning: The practice of igniting crop residue left in agricultural fields after harvest, primarily paddy straw.
• Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009 (PPSSWA 2009): A state legislation aimed at groundwater conservation by regulating paddy cultivation timings.
• Minimum Support Price (MSP): A government-guaranteed price for certain agricultural crops, ensuring a protective floor for farmers' income.
• In-situ Crop Residue Management: The process of managing crop residue directly within the field, often through mechanical incorporation.
• Ex-situ Crop Residue Management: The practice of removing crop residue from fields for off-farm uses, such as biomass energy production.
• PUSA-44: A specific high-yielding, long-duration paddy variety that impacts the agricultural calendar in North India.