26 October 2024 : Indian Express Editorial Analysis

1. A Nudge towards Clean Air  

(Source: Indian Express; Section: The Editorial Page; Page: 14)

Topic: GS3 – Environment

Context:

The article discusses the Supreme Court’s criticism of the government’s approach to crop stubble burning in India, urging sustainable solutions over punitive measures to address air pollution.

What is Stubble Burning?

• Stubble (parali) burning is a method of removing paddy crop residues from the field to sow wheat from the last week of September to November, coinciding with the withdrawal of southwest monsoon.
  • Stubble burning is a process of setting on fire the straw stubble, left after the harvesting of grains, like paddy, wheat, etc. It is usually required in areas that use the combined harvesting method which leaves crop residue behind.
  • It is a common practice in October and November across North West India, but primarily in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The Supreme Court’s Critique and Environmental Rights

• The recent Supreme Court rebuke to the Centre and regional governments over crop stubble burning highlights the pressing issue of air quality in Delhi and neighboring regions.
• Drawing on Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to a pollution-free environment, the Court underscored the need for stricter measures to curb this practice.
• While punitive measures continue to dominate the official response, the root causes compelling farmers to burn stubble remain inadequately addressed.
• Crop residue burning, though a significant contributor, is one of many pollution sources in the Delhi-NCR region, which also include vehicular emissions, industrial discharges, construction dust, and local biomass burning.
• Stubble burning, while harmful, constitutes only a fraction of the region’s pollution problem, making it essential to consider more nuanced and holistic solutions.

Origins of the Stubble-Burning Issue

• The problem of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana can be traced to legislation introduced in 2009, the Sub-soil Water Conservation Acts, designed to preserve groundwater by pushing paddy planting closer to the monsoon season.
• This delay in planting, however, led to a delayed harvest, which left farmers with a much shorter window to prepare their fields for the next planting cycle.
• This compressed timeline has made it nearly impossible for farmers to clear fields without resorting to stubble burning.
• Traditional harvesting methods, which leave no stubble, have become impractical in this new timeline, forcing farmers into mechanical harvesting that leaves stubble in the field.

Challenges with Mechanical Harvesting and Financial Burden on Farmers

• Mechanical harvesting, although faster, leaves behind nearly two feet of stubble, posing a major hurdle for farmers who need to clear their fields swiftly.
• Managing this stubble requires costly equipment and labor, which many small and medium farmers find unaffordable, as stubble management expenses can reach up to ₹4,000 per acre.
• The resulting reliance on burning is not only harmful to the environment but also destructive to soil health, diminishing nutrient levels and killing beneficial organisms.
• This loss in soil fertility ultimately increases the dependency on imported fertilizers, driving up costs for farmers and impacting the country’s trade balance.

Environmental and Economic Impact of Stubble Burning

• Stubble burning has far-reaching ecological and economic consequences. It releases large quantities of greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change and compromising local air quality, with a marked effect on Delhi’s pollution during certain seasons.
• The burning of stubble also deteriorates soil health by depleting vital nutrients and killing beneficial organisms, increasing the dependency on costly chemical fertilizers, which India imports in significant quantities.
• This contributes to a larger import bill and reinforces an unsustainable agricultural cycle.
• The adverse effects on air quality also have public health costs, highlighting the need for a sustainable approach to crop residue management.

Manual Harvesting as an Eco-friendly Solution

• Manual harvesting offers an eco-friendly alternative that could significantly mitigate pollution levels. Unlike mechanical methods, manual harvesting does not leave behind stubble that needs to be burnt.
• Additionally, the byproducts from manual harvesting, such as straw and husk, can serve as animal fodder or bedding material, creating a secondary value chain that supports farmers and livestock alike.
• However, manual harvesting is labor-intensive, requiring substantial manpower, which is currently scarce due to the compressed harvesting window and the high costs associated with labor.

Policy Recommendations: Financial Support and Crop Diversification

• Encouraging a return to manual harvesting could be made viable by financially supporting farmers through direct payments or subsidies, potentially sourced from schemes like MGNREGA.
• An incentive of around ₹4,000 per acre could enable farmers to afford manual harvesting, attracting seasonal laborers and addressing rural unemployment in the process.
• Additionally, crop diversification could provide long-term solutions to both water and air pollution issues.
• By encouraging farmers to shift away from water-intensive paddy to crops such as pulses, oilseeds, and millets—with guaranteed minimum support prices (MSP) and assured procurement—the government could reduce the reliance on paddy, conserve groundwater, and promote sustainable farming practices.

Broader Implications for Climate and Environmental Policy

• Investing in manual harvesting and supporting crop diversification in Punjab and Haryana align with global environmental goals and climate change mitigation efforts.
• Rather than merely enforcing penalties, providing economic support for eco-friendly practices reflects a proactive approach to pollution control.
• Given the high costs associated with climate change mitigation at a global level, a relatively modest investment in farmers’ incentives could yield substantial environmental benefits.
• This shift would not only improve air quality in Delhi-NCR but also serve as a model for climate-responsive agricultural policies that address both environmental and economic sustainability.

Alternative solutions that can avoid Stubble Burning

The available paddy straw can be effectively used for power generation, which will go a long way towards overcoming the problem of disposal of crop residues and power deficit in the region. Suitable machinery for collection, chopping and in situ incorporation of straw is required. There is great potential for making investments in paddy straw-based power plants which can help avoid stubble burning to a large extent and also create employment opportunities. Incorporation of crop residues in the soil can improve soil moisture and help activate the growth of soil microorganisms for better plant growth. New opportunities for industrial use such as extraction of yeast protein can be explored through scientific research. There is also a need to develop rice varieties that are both rich in grain yield and high in straw quality. Use of such dual-purpose rice varieties will help to maintain food security, farm income and improve environmental sustainability. There needs to be a proactive engagement to both persuade and reassure farmers. The greater availability of machines and the zero-tolerance policy need to be seen as works in progress to derive lessons on how to refine the crop-clearing process in an ecologically sound manner. Promoting indigenous research and science, incentivising pulses production, and rationalising pricing more broadly. Converting crises into opportunities is the hallmark of good public policy.

Practice Question:  Discuss the challenges and implications of crop stubble burning in India, particularly in the context of air pollution and soil health. Suggest sustainable alternatives to address this issue, considering both environmental and economic aspects. (250 words/15 m)