Here’s what is triggering the haze: Fires rage in farms around Delhi, Gurugram

GURUGRAM: Crop residue fires continue to rage in Haryana farms in the immediate vicinity of Delhi despite a statewide ban, contributing to the haze that set in on Monday along with a steep rise in pollution levels across NCR.
Late evening on Monday, TOI visited two farming areas and spotted fires at six places. In Fatehabad district, large farm holdings (of about 6-10 acre) near Qayamsar in Hansi and Jhalania villages, and in Hisar, where farm holdings were small (1-2 acre each) near Kaithal Road and near Deer Park, crop residue was being burnt indiscriminately, as also along NH-8 near Kinala and Bibipur in Jind district.

At all places, burning of paddy straw began around dusk, after 5 pm.

TOI spoke to farmers in 16 villages of Hisar, Kaithal, Karnal, Hansi, Panipat, Fatehabad and Rohtak. All of them expressed unhappiness with arrangements made by the state government. While some said authorities have not provided enough straw management machines, others said their cost is unviable for small- and medium- scale farmers.

“This year, harvest was delayed by rain in September, so everyone is in a rush to get rid of crop residue. Therefore, each village should have had at least 50 machines. But the numbers don’t match up. We’re forced to burn our crop residue as we can’t delay sowing winter crop,” said Rattan Mann, a Bhartiya Kisan Union member.

Sukhdev Singh of Hisar said the mechanised straw management system was too costly. “Last year, I used a harvester and straw management system. It cost me Rs 1,200 per acre. Add to that the cost of fuel to plough the crop leftovers into the fields. Also, it takes a lot of time. If I burn the residue tonight, the field will be ready for ploughing next morning,” he said.

Some farmers even expressed willingness to pay the penalty.

“Paying penalty is cheaper than the cost of hiring the mechanised system, especially for big farms. For instance, if the farm size is 10 acre, one has to pay Rs 1,200 per acre for the machines, and tractors to plough the stubble afterwards. I’ll happily pay up to Rs 15,000 as penalty and get rid of the residue overnight,” said a farmer in Kaithal, requesting anonymity.

The Haryana government has set up 900 custom hiring centres from where farmers can hire three types of machines — super straw management system, happy seeders and paddy straw mulchers. Once a machine has done its job, the stubble is ploughed into the earth using a heavy-duty tractor.

Officials at Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said they have enforced strict norms. “There is a fine up to Rs 15,000 for burning crop residue. We run awareness campaigns throughout the year to encourage farmers to use the mechanised system, and incidence of crop burning has come down in the state compared to previous years,” said Jai Bhagwan, regional officer, HSPCB. A scientist at Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC) said satellite images have revealed there are more farm fires in Punjab than Haryana.

“While both states have brought down farm fires this year, there’s a 30% drop in Haryana,” he said.