Burning of fallen leaves going on unabated

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 4

Gardeners, sweepers and residents are openly seen burning dry and fallen leaves and adding to the air pollution in the already polluted city. It is a practice that is going unnoticed posing serious environmental hazards.

Burning of leaves leads to air pollution, health problems and fire hazards. Leaf smoke may also contain hazardous chemicals such as carbon monoxide, which can mix with haemoglobin in the bloodstream and reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood and lungs. Another noxious chemical commonly present in leaf smoke is benzo (a) pyrene, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals and is believed to be a major factor in lung cancer caused by cigarette smoke. Breathing leaf smoke can irritate eyes, nose and throat of healthy adults and can wreak havoc on small children and aggravate things for the elderly and people with asthma or other lung or heart diseases.

Jagrup Singh, a regular morning and evening walker at Leisure Valley, said: “I am a regular walker at Leisure Valley and every week, gardeners burn dry leaves here thus polluting the calm and serene environment. Despite asking them not to do so, they continue with the practice which not only pollutes the environment, but also causes health problem to people, who come for a stroll.”

“I feel choked with smoke caused by burning of leaves in our locality. Because I am asthmatic, I have to immediately shut my windows and use an inhaler when they burn leaves. My repeated requests fall on deaf ears of sweepers and gardeners of the area,” said Manik Jain, a resident from Rajguru Nagar.

“When burned, leaves emit a huge amount of suspended particles and soot which settles in the lungs, worsening pulmonary diseases. Burning of leaves also releases cancer-causing organic compound called benzene and toxic gas carbon monoxide in large amounts. Small children are at a graver risk. Joggers and all who inhale more air in the morning are also greatly exposed to it. And because of the moisture that is usually trapped within leaves, they tend to burn slowly and thus generate large amounts of airborne particulates fine bits of dust, soot and other solid materials. These particulates can reach deep into lung tissue and cause coughing, wheezing, chest pain and sometimes long-term respiratory problems,” said Dr Naresh Singla, an expert in pulmonary medicine.

There is no need to burn leaves when they can be fruitfully used to make garden compost that adds vital organic matter to build up soil and retain more moisture, feel residents.

“Being a green lover, I am always motivated to find ways to utilise dried leaves that fall from my plants. Homemade mulch for my plants emerges from the dry leaves of my bamboo and bougainvillea plants. Mulch is compost or any material used to preserve nutrients in soil and helps plants grow better,” said Pashroop Singh, a city resident.

Use of dry leaves 

As mulch: Leaves make excellent mulch for use with home grown balcony plants. They help lessen the growth of weeds, retain soil moisture, maintain lower soil temperature in the summer, protect against temperature fluctuations and some types of low temperature harm during winter. They eventually decompose, adding their nutrients to the soil and improving soil structure.

In compost: They also make a good addition to the compost pile. Leaves are difficult to compost alone and will require extra nitrogen in the form of a commercial fertiliser (any good manure can be added to the leaves) or materials high in nitrogen such as grass clippings. 

Effect of burning leaves

• It emits toxic and harmful fumes which includes poisonous carbon monoxide
• It increases suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the air and pollutes our environment
• It produces carbon dioxide which creates Green House Effects and disturbs the natural climate of the planet
• It causes cough, eye irritation and respiratory disorders