Why is stubble burning higher in Haryana and lower in Punjab?

Stubble burning, which is associated with rice-wheat cropping pattern, this year has increased 19.8 per cent in Haryana and declined 28.7 per cent in Punjab in the past 30 days, which is opposite of what was normally observed in previous years. But, it has nothing to do with either Punjab performing better or Haryana performing worse; rather, the incidents are relative to the area harvested under the paddy crop.

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Latest official data show that only 11 per cent of the paddy area has been harvested in Punjab, whereas 40 per cent of the area has been harvested so far, as harvesting started around September 15. It is feared that if harvesting picks up from now on and stubble burning goes unchecked like past years in Punjab, the air quality may further worsen to ‘severe’ category around Diwali.

The paddy acreage (including Basmati) in Punjab this year increased to 32.4 lakh hectares (lh) from 31.8 lh a year ago, while in Haryana it rose to 16.4 lh from 15.2 lh, mainly because a number of cotton farmers shifted to the cereal crop.

“Last year too, stubble burning incidents were higher in Haryana as harvesting began much earlier compared to a delayed start in 2022. The incidents of crop residue burning were three times more in the state during the first 30 days of the 2023 season than in the same period a year ago,” said an official in the agriculture department of the state.

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In the entire paddy harvesting period from September 15 to November 30, as monitored by IARI’s Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space (CREAMS), Punjab had 36,663 incidents of stubble burning and Haryana had 2,303 incidents in 2023.

Traders in Punjab said that paddy harvesting will pick up as soon as the government clears space for the new crop, as currently, rice millers are not that eager to buy paddy due to the storage crunch in the state. Though the Centre has claimed that paddy procurement in Punjab is smooth, the state government has blamed it on insufficient storage space for the fresh crop.

Amid an announcement by farmer leaders, commission agents (arhtiyas) and rice millers to hold a dharna outside Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence on October 18 to protest “tardy” paddy procurement, Mann on Monday met Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi and requested him to evacuate the stored grains to other states. The Centre is working to vacate space for 40 lakh tonnes (lt) by the end of December.

Arhtiyas are demanding a hike in their commission while rice millers want a revision in the out-turn ratio (post-milling yield) of the PR-126 paddy variety, claiming that at a 67 per cent ratio it will lead to huge losses for them.

To combat air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas, the local government on October 14 banned the sale or use of firecrackers until January 1. Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage I of the Graded Action Response Plan (GRAP) from Tuesday onwards after the air quality index (AQI) turned ‘poor’ for the second consecutive day on Monday.

The 27-point action plan to be enforced under GRAP Stage I includes a ban on coal/firewood as fuel in tandoors in hotels, restaurants, and open eateries, strict vigilance and enforcement of PUC (pollution under control) norms for vehicles, and impounding of visibly polluting vehicles.

The CAQM on October 12 said that officials would face prosecution if they fail to enforce stubble burning regulations in the national capital region (NCR), Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and UP. It authorised Deputy Commissioners/District Collectors/District Magistrates to file complaints and prosecute in case of inaction of officials responsible for enforcement of elimination of stubble burning in their jurisdiction.