Winter and Pollution in North India

What is the issue?

With winter approaching, North India is likely to encounter the pollution challenge.

What is the continuing pollution menace?

• The onset of the winter season has come to be associated with toxic atmospheric pollution in North India.
• Road dust and pollution from heavy vehicles are primarily responsible, especially in Delhi and other urban centres.
• But besides this the burning of paddy stubble by farmers to clear their fields for the next crop is responsible for 20% of the smog.

What are the measures in place?

• The Supreme Court-constituted Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) issued directions.
• So the Centre is partnering with Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in this regard.
• They provide farmers with a range of mechanised implements to clear fields of paddy crop residue to prepare for sowing wheat.
• There is a 50% subsidy to farmers, farmers’ interest groups or gram panchayats to buy such machines.
• Also, there is a 75% waiver to cooperative societies, agencies that rent out the equipments.
• States have got nearly Rs. 650 crore to help farmers buy subsidised equipment such as Happy Seeder, paddy straw choppers and Zero Till Drill.

What are the concerns and ways out?

• Farmers, particularly those with land holdings of less than 5 acres, remain sceptical of the efficiency of these machines.

• There are concerns if these machines would affect productivity and cause damage to the soil.
• So, just making technological tools available may not be enough to bring an appreciable change.
• There needs to be proactive engagement to both persuade and reassure farmers.
• Ironically, it was technology that contributed to the problem in the first place.
• The rising cost of labour made farmers adopt mechanised equipment.
• While being efficient, they left behind much longer stalks of paddy than what the traditional practice of removing them by hand did.
• The greater availability of machines should be utilised to refine the crop-clearing process, but in an ecologically sound manner.
• A sense of proportion is also essential, as 80% of atmospheric pollution in Delhi in winter draws from sources other than burning stubble.
• Given Delhi’s geography, low wind speeds and a spike in local pollution raise the particulate matter count dramatically.
• Thus, to be effective, the fight against pollution must necessarily be broad-based.

Source: The Hindu