Ten times. That's by how much stubble-burning incidents have already increased in Punjab till September 30 over the same period last year. And the state has barely entered the paddy harvesting season.
Their potato and pea crop ready, farmers in Punjab have started the banned slash-and-burn practice. Once paddy is harvested, stubble burning is bound to increase several times over.
The air quality in neighbouring land-locked New Delhi, which constantly grapples with deadly pollution from vehicles and round-the-year construction, is now in the "poor" category. This is after the national capital enjoyed the cleanest air in six years (barring 2020), courtesy a healthy monsoon.
Both the state government and the Centre are hoping this year would be different, and they have been in pro-active mode. But on the ground, farmers say not enough is being done. If they have their way, there will be no letup in stubble burning.
As the paddy procurement season kicks off on October 1, Pulwinder Mann, a 52-year-old farmer from Attari, a village in Amritsar some 3 km from the Indo-Pak border, stands hopeful. His fields, lush with shades of green and gold, signal a strong harvest. But hidden within this success is a problem that ignites both controversy and flames across Punjab, Haryana, and New Delhi — stubble burning.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 02, 2024-Ausgabe von Business Standard.
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