For India’s landlocked national capital stubble burning in the adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana has proven to be a huge menace. Come winters and reports of residents of Delhi and NCR choking on the rising pollution levels aided by stubble burning become an everyday affair. The farmers in Punjab and Haryana prefer to burn the stubbles of harvested crops as it is believed to be a cost-effective method.
However, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Pusa has now developed a low-cost technology as a possible solution to managing crop residue.
Scientists at the institute have come up with ‘decomposer capsules'. These capsules, also called Pusa Decomposer a composition of eight microbes will help ready the land for the sowing of the next crop, without the farmer burning the crop residue.
These green and red coloured capsules can go a long way in preventing Delhi NCR from turning into a gas chamber.
Farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh burn crop residue after harvesting paddy a summer crop. The fields have to be cleared of the paddy straws to make way for the sowing of wheat. The smoke from burning these crop fields travels causes air quality to plummet.
Technology to manage crop residue
The Pusa ‘decomposer capsules’ will reduce the time it takes to decompose paddy straw. Additionally, unlike burning which erodes the soil quality, this option also makes the land fertile.
Scientists at IARI, Pusa Campus, claim that if this capsule is used by farmers, it will also help reduce their dependence on fertilisers in the long run.
Dr YV Singh, Principal Scientist, Division of microbiology told India Today, "The 4 capsules in a pouch can be used to make 25 litres of solution which can then be used on one hectare or 2.5 acres of field. This capsule will help in curbing the practice of crop burning. This can be used in all forms and on any farm."
The product has been in the works for the past 5 years. Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, Director, IARI said, "We were working on this product for the past 5 years, we believe mass distribution is the key here. This product will fulfil two objectives - make soil fertile and fight the pollution menace."
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is taking a head start this year in the fight against pollution. Kejriwal said he will urge Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to ask neighbouring states to make use of the Pusa decomposer.
Last year's stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana contributed to 44 per cent of the pollution in NCR Delhi, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
Punjab banks on biomass power plants
The Punjab government, on the other hand, has found a solution to help get rid of the uncontrolled and mismanaged paddy stubble.
The government decided to encourage more biomass power plants in the state which will not only utilise the paddy straws but will also produce more energy and will supplement farmers income.
The state has already commissioned 11 biomass power plants of a total capacity of 97.50 MW. These plants are functional and have been set up over a period of 15 years from 2005 to 2019.
These biomass power plants consume 8.8 lakh metric tonne of straws per annum and are located in Hoshiarpur, Muktsar, Fazilka, Jalandhar, Mansa, Moga, Faridkot and Ferozepur districts.
Two additional biomass power plants of 14 MW capacities are under construction in Jalandhar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts.
These plants will further consume additional 1.2 lakh metric tonnes of straws when they are commissioned between June and August 2021.
Punjab produces around 20 million tonnes of paddy stubble every year out of which nearly half (9.8) million tonnes is consigned to the flames which choke the entire national capital.
Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), the nodal agency which controls and commissions the biomass power plants in the state, estimates that the state has the capacity to produce nearly 1,000 MW power from the paddy stubble. Each 5MW biomass power plant costs Rs 30 crore and the power produced by these plants is not only cheaper but also environment friendly compared to the thermal power plants which consume fossil fuels like coal.
PEDA officials say commissioning more biomass power plants will supplement the income of state's farmers who have been demanding a compensation of Rs 2,000 per acre to manage the stubble.
However, the state is able to use only 1.5 million tonnes out of the total 20 million tonnes of paddy straws produced every year - just seven per cent of the total. In other words, 93 per cent of the paddy straws will either require commissioning of more bio-power plants or other methods to utilise the crop residue.
With inputs from Manjeet Sehgal in Chandigarh.