Views of Supreme Court on Stubble Burning
Context:
- The bench of the Supreme Court (SC) has taken a harsh stance against the states that border them: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
Which states were questioned by the SC?
- The bench has ordered them to identify long-term remedies after immediately ceasing to burn stubble in paddy fields.
- It further recommended that its implementation be handled by the Station House Office (SHO) in the area. It remains to be seen how far this will be put into practise.
What is the reason behind the decline in Delhi’s air quality?
- The burning of biomass, primarily stubble, was responsible for 37.85 percent of the pollutants.
- Notably, transport in Delhi accounted for a mere 12.67 percent.
- Less than 3% was accounted for by dust and construction in Delhi.
- Controlling stubble burning in bordering states, particularly Punjab, is obviously the most urgent measure that needs to be taken.
Effects of air pollution in Delhi on human health:
- People in Delhi risk losing 11.9 years of life if pollution is not reduced, with stubble burning being a major contributing factor. (According to the Energy Policy Institute report on the Air Quality Life Index from the University of Chicago, 2023.)
- Our average lifespan is approximately 71 years, thus losing 11.9 years of life for a population of roughly 22 million in the National Capital Territory is equivalent to dying 3.7 million people from air pollution.
How can I put an end to my stubble burning?
- removing all of the stubble following paddy harvesting.
- using stubble to make bales for boiler burning.
- Grasping stubble as mulch.
- utilising a clever happy seeder that is capable of seeding a field with stubble.
The unique situation involving Punjab:
- The 4.7 million hectares (m ha) of the Punjab-Haryana belt must be substantially reduced to just 2.5 m ha.
- Punjab’s paddy farming generates at least 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per hectare. (A Low Carbon Agriculture project conducted at ICRIER)
- It is not a crop that is appropriate for this area and is rapidly lowering the water table, as the SC correctly noted.
- Farmers in Punjab receive about Rs 30,000 in subsidies per hectare for growing paddy, thanks to free electricity and heavily discounted urea and other chemical fertilisers.
- Because of this subsidy, which makes up around one-third of the revenues from paddy farming in Punjab, farmers continue to cultivate paddy even though they are aware that it is causing damage to water aquifers.
- The acquisition of paddy for the Food Corporation of India (FCI) by state agencies under open-ended terms serves as more evidence of this.
In what ways can farmers in the Punjab-Haryana region be weaned off of paddy?
- Provide farmers who move from paddy to pulses, oilseeds, millets, or even maize with a subsidy of, say, Rs 25,000/ha.
- This would save the government money by eliminating the subsidy from paddy farming and contribute to the creation of an incentive system that is crop-neutral.
- Encourage the private sector to establish maize-based ethanol plants, beginning in areas where the rapid decline of the water table needs to be stopped.
- As a result, there will be a market for ethanol blended with fossil fuels and air pollution from cars will be reduced.
- Reduced paddy procurement from farmers who burn stubble and in blocks where the water table is rapidly dropping should be the focus of state agencies.
- It is imperative that FCI explicitly state that they would only pay a maximum of 3% of the MSP for mandi fees and commissions for arhatias.
- This ought to be the same in every state.
- In order to transition to more nutrient-dense crops, millets, oilseeds, and pulses, the PM should meet with the chief ministers of the states that border Delhi and present a plan that guarantees MSP procurement of these items.
- These more nutrient-dense, environmentally friendly crops are desperately needed.
What more is there to do?
- We overuse rice and wheat in the Public Distribution System, which damages the environment and leads to diabetes.
- At least 10% (50,000) of the more than 5 lakh fair pricing stores can be converted into nutrition hubs, where these nutrient-dense crops will be given in addition to wheat and rice.
