Stubble burning on the rise, DM tells team to reach out to farmers in Noida

Noida: The district magistrate directed officials on Saturday to conduct initiatives aimed at preventing stubble burning, with a particular emphasis on rural regions. The DM also ordered that farmers be made better aware of how to utilise stubble in their farming practices, eliminating the need to burn stubble or waste in their fields.
By providing farmers with alternative methods for managing stubble, the district hopes to reduce the occurrence of stubble burning and its associated environmental and health impacts, officials said.
Data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) shows that farm fire incidents in the state have doubled this season, compared to the previous year. From April 1 to May 20 this year, a total of 13,727 farm fire incidents were reported in the state, compared to 6,426 during the same period last year.
Rabi crops such as wheat, oat and mustard are planted between Oct and Nov and harvested in the spring. According to IARI, the highest number of farm fires this year were reported from Siddharthnagar (3,266 incidents), followed by Maharajganj (1,744), Deoria (984), Sant Kabir Nagar (812), and Gorakhpur (694). Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad reported 31 and 30 farm fires, respectively, during this period.
"Stubble burning starts from the end of Oct and Nov. Most of the farmers intenationally start doing it to prepare the field for the next crop. However, we are going to stop it from happening by telling them alternative methods which will save the air from becoming toxic and the farmers can use the stubble for feeding their cattle, roofing or for many other purposes," said district magistrate Manish Verma.
Last year, GB Nagar recorded 24 such incidents, while Ghaziabad witnessed a total of 10 farm fires. The data also shows an increase in the number of farm fire cases recorded in neighbouring Delhi and Haryana as well.