Assessment of stubble burning in Punjab: stakeholders perception
Student name: Ms Sanya Prakash
Guide: Dr Kamna Sachdeva
Year of completion: 2018
Host Organisation: Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Hem Himanshu Dholakia
Abstract: Even though, agricultural residue burning aids in controlling competitive weed and crop diseases, its consequences often outweigh the benefits at a larger scale. „Agricultural residue burning‟ is the second highest contributor to fire emissions and also a major source of air pollution globally. Agricultural residue burning is widely practiced in the North-Western states of India comprising Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand & Rajasthan. Punjab, being an agrarian economy, has contributed significantly to the production of food grains, especially cereals. However, increasing cereal production has led extensively to the generation of abundant stubble which gets burnt on field. The burning of residues releases a large amount of harmful pollutants which can cause hazardous effects. The adverse effects of the criteria pollutants released can also be seen in the case of Delhi. Although, there are multiple remunerative available for dealing with the problem, but proper awareness on utilising the options is still lacking.
This study brings the problem of crop residue burnings at the forefront and tries to examine the gaps leading to the intensification of the issue. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology was used to assess the perception of the consulted stakeholders with regard to the issue of stubble burning in Punjab and the solutions available to resolve the same. Awareness about the alternatives and support from the government were found to be the main prerequisites for dealing with the issue, based on the stakeholders‟ perception. The study recommends the need for a dedicated, comprehensive policy for management of crop burning taking into account all the ground realities, the inter-play of stakeholders and implementing agencies.
Keywords: Agriculture residue burning, Stubble, Alternatives, Punjab, Stakeholders
