Delhi pollution likely to reduce as Punjab farmers shifting to sustainable ways
In a move that will likely thin down the air pollution of the Delhi-NCR region, a handful of Punjab farmers have stad opting for ways to dispose of their crop residue sustainably. They are either selling the residue as fuel or using it as a natural fertilizer to increase the fertility of the soil. The farmers are not only reducing their consumption of chemical fertilizers by mixing crop residue in the soil, but they are also earning by doing the same for other farmers. The burning of paddy straw by farmers of Punjab and Haryana is a major reason behind Delhi-NCR's unbearable pollution, especially during the months of October-November. Combined with firecrackers burning in the festive season, the air-quality index crosses the 999 mark in some areas of Delhi. The government claims to work on the issue and is also providing several new technologies to farmers to prevent the burning. The increase in the level of awareness is also pushing farmers to look for alternate eco-friendly ways to increase the fertility of the soil. As the window of Rabi crop wheat is shor, farmers prefer to burn the paddy straw in order to reclaim the lost fertility of the soil. Punjab alone generates around 180 lakh tonnes of paddy straw annually.