Can Stubble burn cause Delhi Air Emergency again this year?

Stubble burning is intentionally setting fire to the straw stubble that remains after grains, like paddy, wheat, etc., have been harvested. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana in northwest India has been cited as a major cause of air pollution in Delhi. Consequently, the government is considering implementation of the 1,600 km long and 5 km wide Great Green Wall of Aravalli. In late September and October each year, farmers mainly in Punjab and Haryana burn an estimated 35 million tons of crop waste from their paddy fields after harvesting as a low-cost straw-disposal practice to reduce the turnaround time between harvesting and sowing for the second (winter) crop. Smoke from this burning produces a cloud of particulates visible from space and has produced what has been described as a "toxic cloud" in New Delhi, resulting in declarations of an air-pollution emergency. For this, the NGT (National Green Tribunal) instituted a fine of Rs. 2,00,000 on the Delhi Government for failing to file an action plan providing incentives and infrastructural assistance to farmers to stop them from burning crop residue to prevent air pollution.

Effects

A study estimates that crop residue burning released 149.24 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), over 9 million tonnes of carbon monoxide (CO), 0.25 million tonnes of oxides of sulphur (SOX), 1.28 million tonnes of particulate matter and 0.07 million tonnes of black carbon. These directly contribute to environmental pollution and are also responsible for the haze in Delhi and melting of Himalayan glaciers. 

The heat from burning paddy straw penetrates 1 centimetre into the soil, elevating the temperature to 33.8 to 42.2 degree Celsius. This kills the bacterial and fungal populations critical for fertile soil.

Burning of crop residue causes damage to other micro-organisms present in the upper layer of the soil as well as its organic quality. Due to the loss of ‘friendly’ pests, the wrath of ‘enemy’ pests has increased and as a result, crops are more prone to disease. The solubility capacity of the upper layers of soil has also been reduced.

According to a report, one-tonne stubble burning leads to a loss of 5.5-kilogram nitrogen, 2.3 kg phosphorus, 25 kg potassium and more than 1 kg of sulfur —  all soil nutrients, besides organic carbon.

Facts

Stubble burning has become a major concern in India which adversely affects people’s health and also retards the nation’s productivity. In a damning new report, it is estimated that crop burning can cost up to about Rs 11 lakh crore in five years. In north-western India, which is severely suffering from air pollution, the primary factor contributing to it is crop stubble burning.

• The economic cost of air pollution from stubble burning in three north Indians states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi has estimated at Rs 2.35 lakh crore annually, according to a new study by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Crop-burning abatement, in northern India, would prevent disability-adjusted life years equivalent to $153 billion (about Rs 11 lakh crore) over a 5-year period.

• Eliminating crop stubble burning would add 14.9 million life-years in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi that would otherwise be lost to disability and disease.

• Pollution from crop stubble burning and firecrackers together cost nearly 1.7 per cent of India’s GDP.

• The outdoor air pollution in India has increased by 16.6% between 1990-2016

• When rice farmers in north-western India burn their fields, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in Delhi, the highly populated capital city located downwind of burning areas, spike to about 20 times beyond the World Health Organization’s threshold for safe air.

Solutions

• Educate and convince farmers to not burn straw

• Converting Crop Stubble Into Animal Feed, Manure, Cardboard

• Waste Decomposer

• Converting Crop Stubble to Biodegradable Cutlery

• Incentivising Farmers to Grow Crops That Don’t Guzzle Water

• The help of Technology to cut rice straw and stubbles into small pieces and mix them in the soil to increase soil fertility. i.e. Happy Seeder