Use of reapers adds to the problem of air pollution

Over the past many years, at the onset of winter, the National Capital Region has been experiencing air pollution. Delhi’s Air Quality Index deteriorates due to the combined effect of pollution from various sources — industrial sector, vehicles, construction dust, bursting of firecrackers and burning of paddy straw in fields of Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh in October.

The pollution issue is repeatedly taken up by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal every year and instructions given to the Central and the state governments to control farm fires and take remedial measures.

As per some reports, the industrial sector accounts for 52 per cent of the pollution, transport services 27 per cent, agriculture sector 10 per cent and other factors 11 per cent.

The Union and state governments have been providing subsidy and machinery to farmers for the past several years to check stubble burning. During the past five years, in addition to giving a large number of equipments, including zero till drill, rotavator, happy seeder, mulcher, MB plough, super seeder, surface seeder and baler machines, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Punjab, has conducted various activities and awareness campaigns to educate the farmers on not resorting to stubble burning.

Though the incidents of farm fires have decreased in the past couple of years, no concrete solution has been found to stop this practice completely. Policymakers must seriously consider why farmers are burning stubble when they, too, equally suffer from the pollution caused by fires. The toxicity of the fumes is far more serious for them as they live in closer vicinity of these farm fires.

Burning of standing stubble began only after the use of tractor-driven reapers came into practice. Farmers reap standing stubble with these machines. As this stubble is not dry, its burning causes environment pollution. If these machines were not there, it would not have been possible for farmers to cut stubble in any way. Before these machines came into practice, farmers would set ablaze only the loose straw, which is dry and lighter in weight, thus producing less smoke as compared to the standing stubble.

Now, subsidies are being given to the farmers by the Union and the state governments to encourage the use of reapers, which has added to the problem of air pollution. If the government banned such reapers in the paddy-producing states, it would get rid of up to 80 per cent of the toxic smoke produced after stubble burning.

Field experiments conducted by me over the years have revealed that two types of straw are formed after paddy harvesting by the combine harvester. One is the ‘loose straw’ that comes through combine after separation of grains. It is only 20 per cent by weight and the other is the standing stubble which is 80 per cent by weight.

The burning of loose straw produces only 20 per cent smoke as compared to the standing stubble when both the standing stubble and the loose straw are burnt together after operating reapers.

Therefore, the governments must ban reapers during the harvesting season, which will certainly help reduce air pollution. However, if any farmer wants to make bales of his paddy straw, he could be given permission to use the reapers by issuing permit and imposing certain riders on its operation.

In 2009, the Punjab Government enacted the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009, to save underground water. One cannot overlook the fact that after paddy harvesting, not much time is left to prepare the field for sowing the next crop of wheat, mustard, potatoes, etc. So, farmers use reapers to cut the standing paddy heads (stubble), which are wet. The quantity of smoke produced after burning wet stubble is much more, and when it gets mixed in the air, it turns into smog, which causes severe air pollution.

The farmers who do not use reapers, plough and prepare their fields for the next crop by mixing the standing stubble in the soil. Only some farmers have complained of a few problems — where the upper soil crust is hard, most likely due to certain soil conditions. By and large, the production is the same as that of farmers who use reapers and burn stubble.

Therefore, the stubble could be uprooted and mixed in the soil before sowing the wheat or other crops. It also helps in protecting the seedlings or plants of wheat, potato and mustard crops from frosty weather conditions in January and February, which is a good sign for the overall growth of the plants as well as soil health.

Straw weighing about two and a half tonnes is produced in one acre of land under paddy. Of this, two tonnes comprises the standing stubble and the rest loose straw. It is the loose straw spread on the standing stubble across the fields that causes some problems in sowing the next crop, not the standing stubble. This loose straw can be easily managed while preparing the fields to sow the next crop.

Moreover, farmers can sow their wheat crop within the standing stubble by using the tractor-drawn zero till drill machine. However, farmers use reapers and burn both stubble and loose straw, causing heavy pollution. Plus, while using reapers, the dust particles from the fields fly and mix in the air, which is also one of the causes of the emergence of smog at the advent of the winter season.

Till now, there is no machine which can easily prepare fields for sowing the next crop when loose straw and standing stubble are present in the area. Last year, there were many problems in sowing wheat with the surface seeder. As a result, the farmers have not shown much interest in this technique.

Due to the practical problems being faced by farmers, agricultural universities, experts, engineers and governments must consider and conduct extensive research on developing a cost-effective machine that can help in smooth and efficient stubble management at the time of sowing the next crop without burning the crop residue.

A majority of the farmers are small and marginal. They cannot buy expensive machines or big tractors. Small implements like balers that can collect only loose straw and plough the standing stubble simultaneously must be developed and their use encouraged in the farming operations to address the increasing problem of air pollution.

Emphasis should also be laid on crop diversification with the promise of reasonable returns on the cost incurred and sound marketing strategies.