As Haryana harvests paddy sown across 13.41 hectares of land, a trail of smoke, from stubble burning, can be seen along the national highway, signalling that all preventive plans have failed. The annual winter disaster that chokes people’s lungs in northern states, particularly Delhi-NCR, is here.
Medical experts called last year’s crisis in Delhi — worst in two decades — an epidemic, forcing the city administration to temporarily shut schools, halt construction projects and promise giant air purifiers and even artificial rain.
As many as 12,965 incidents of stubble burning were reported across Haryana in 2016. Rs 19.38 lakh was the total penalty (environmental compensation) collected from the farmers.
Fatehabad where paddy is sown on 109 hectares of land reported most incidents (4,178), followed by Sirsa (2,705) and Karnal (1,363).
A week into the harvesting season, 90 incidents have already been reported across Haryana. More than 40 cases have been reported from Karnal — declared a model district for straw management.
The problem is severe in ten districts — Karnal, Kaithal, Jind, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad, Sonipat, Sirsa, Ambala, Yamunanagar and Panipat which account for 10 lakh hectares of the total 13.41 lakh hectare of the state’s paddy cover.
Data accessed from Haryana Space Application Centre, Hisar, revealed that on an average 50 incidents of stubble burning were reported in each of the sensitive districts last year.
“We had organised a massive awareness campaign this year with over 2,900 camps for farmers and educated women on the ill-effects of stubble burning. A total of Rs 75 crore has been set aside exclusively for straw management, and we have already started to dispatch subsidies in farmers’ accounts after verification,” says DK Behera, Director, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Haryana.
With non-availability of labour, harvesting has become an intensively mechanised process, compounding problem of straw management. Government campaigns to urge farmers to avail of additional machinery at subsidised rates fail to convince them, as they demand a cost-effective solution that meets the time requirement.
“Even if the government registers cases against us, or puts us in jail, these pressure tactics will not end the problem; instead they will aggravate it. Provide us a cost-effective solution. Industries, vehicles account for two major sources of pollution, but the government targets farmers every year. What if we put an end to sowing wheat altogether? Who will feed the country then?” says Karam Singh Mathana, state president, Bhartiya Kisan Union, Haryana.
STUBBLE BURNING IN HARYANA
13.41 lakh hectares area under paddy cultivation
69 lakh tonnes Amount of paddy straw generated every year
IN 2016
12,965 number of stubble burning incidents reported across Haryana
4,178 incidents reported from Fatehabad district alone
705 number of farmers penalised for violation
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