{"id":211373,"date":"2022-10-21T18:18:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T12:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=211373"},"modified":"2022-10-21T18:21:06","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T12:51:06","slug":"stubble-burning-addressing-north-indias-burning-issue-sustainably","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/stubble-burning-addressing-north-indias-burning-issue-sustainably\/","title":{"rendered":"Stubble burning: Addressing north India\u2019s burning issue sustainably"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source<\/span><\/b>: The post is based on the article <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>Addressing north India\u2019s burning issue sustainably<\/strong>\u201d <\/span><\/b>published in <\/span>The Hindu<\/span><\/b>\u202fon\u202f<\/span>21<\/span><\/b>st<\/span><\/b> October 2022<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Syllabus: GS 3 \u2013 Environment<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Relevance: <\/span><\/b>Ways to address the issue of stubble burning<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

News:<\/span><\/b> Stubble burning is a major problem in North India and every year it is in the news around winter. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The government generally comes up with short-term solutions and farmers are mostly held responsible for the stubble burning causing low-quality air in North India.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it is not suitable to blame farmers for the action as stubble burning has a historic reason behind it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What were the reasons that caused the stubble burning?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

The green revolution was one of the main reasons behind stubble burning. It was introduced in the 1960s-70s to fulfil the food demand of the growing population. <\/span>It transformed the way agriculture was practised, especially in Punjab and Haryana.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the green revolution, <\/span>high-yielding seeds of wheat and paddy were given to farmers with the support of a guaranteed buyer (the government) and minimum support prices. This led to two crops (wheat and paddy) dominance in the market.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, these two crops depleted the groundwater of the region, increased the use of pesticides and fertilizers. It also led to the consolidation of small farms into larger landholdings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, the Punjab and Haryana governments introduced laws to conserve groundwater. The government encouraged farmers to look to the monsoon rather than groundwater to irrigate their crops.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The wait for the monsoon water provided a shorter period between harvesting kharif crops and sowing rabi crops. Due to the shorter period, farmers prefer to burn the stubble and clear the fields for the rabi crops.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The effect of stubble burning is felt throughout the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) including Bihar and West Bengal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It has severe effects on the air quality of the NCR which has caused the government to criminalize the act. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, the government has also taken various other steps to tackle the issue.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the steps taken by the government?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

The Union and State governments have taken various short-term ex-situ and in-situ solutions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In-situ solutions include happy seeders and bio-decomposers while the ex-situ solutions include collecting and using stubble to produce ethanol or to simply burn in thermal power plants.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, these solutions are not very effective in improving the situation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What can be the possible solution to tackle stubble burning?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

First,<\/span><\/b> the entire value chain of agriculture in the region needs to change in the region of Punjab and Haryana.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n