CROP RESIDUE BURNING and its Impact on achieving SDG 3 in India

Healthcare is one of the most important factors that directly impact the quality of life and human development status of any economy. Sustainable Development Goal 3 of the 2030 Agenda is to “ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages”. It recalls that human beings are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature. This also implicitly emphasizes upon sustainable agriculture to ensure food security, without compromising on the sustenance of the ecosystem. This becomes significant in India as agriculture with its allied sectors, is the largest source of livelihoods with 60-65 percent of rural population depending on agriculture. 

Green revolution through the introduction of improved varieties and synthesized fertilizers made Indo-Gigantic Plain self-sufficient to fulfill food demands. However, this boom in foodgrains production came with many negative consequences caused due to intensive mono-cropping and indiscriminate use of synthesized input. Therefore, with a significant amount of agricultural production naturally, large amount of crop residue is generated. This led to setting fire to crop residue in open fields posing a serious threat to sustainable environment and agricultural production.

Out of various crops grown in North; rice, wheat, and sugarcane are prone to maximum crop residue burning. These crops are preferred by farmers since they provide higher economic return, as compared to other crops. It generates large volume of residues both on and off farm. The tradition of burning of crop residues in Haryana & Punjab started from the decade of the 1980s with the mechanization of the harvesting process. It was accepted by farmers because of low cost and no investment. Currently, 80 percent of the stubble is burnt in the field in the month of October and first two weeks of November. There are also some additional reasons of the crop residue burning in the field such as shortage of laborers and time between harvesting of rice and sowing of wheat, unavailability of residue buyers, etc. In addition, shrinking livestock population, long-time requirement for composting of crop residue, and unavailability of economically viable alternative solutions to manage crop residue compel farmers to burn the residues in the field itself. Figure 1 describes the drivers of crop residue burning.

Figure1: Drivers of Crop Residue Burning

However, in doing so, farmers ignored the impact of this practice on health and air quality. Rice straw burning produces many harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides. It is a major environmental issue caused by air pollution, green-house gases (GHG) emissions, health hazards, loss of nutrients of the soil, etc. 

This is a popular belief that residue burning in north, especially in Punjab and Haryana is responsible  for the worsening of air quality in the Delhi NCR. During the period of October, smoke from crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana blows across northern India. With the onset of cooler weather in November, the smoke, mixed with fog, dust, and industrial pollution, forms a thick haze. Wind usually helps disperse air pollution, and the lack of it, worsens the problem for several major cities including Lahore, New Delhi, Lucknow, and Kanpur. It imposes negative impact on human health and make farmers prone to respiratory problems, tuberculosis, and reduced visibility. In addition, it like affects soil productivity by burning the essential nutrients inside the soil, reduces organic carbon content in the soil, and depletes beneficial microorganism populations. It is a major environmental issue caused to air pollution, green-house gases (GHG) emissions, health hazards. 

In response to the crises, several attempts have been made by the Government of India to curb crop residue burning and to promote the usage of alternative sustainable management methods including in-situ and ex-situ management of crop residue. Section 144 of Civil Procedure Code (CPC) bans paddy burning. Additionally, many schemes have been launched, namely, Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi (2018-19). Haryana has also launched a flagship scheme namely ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’ (MPMV) for diversification of paddy area to other alternative crops. Multi-language mobile app platform 'FARMS- Farm Machinery Solutions' has been launched to facilitate local farmers and citizens of the different States across the country with the custom hiring services of farm machinery banks, custom hiring centers and hi-tech hubs. However, despite all the lucrative and punitive approaches to combat residue burning; it is still widely practiced in the rice-wheat growing belt of India. Farmers perceive burning as the easiest and most economically feasible option for quick preparation of the field for next sowing. 

Residue burning is a serious seasonal problem with severe public health consequences in cities and rural areas. Depending upon local condition, crop residue can be managed ex situ or in situ. Instead of burning the stubble, it can be used in different ways like cattle feed, compost manure, roofing in rural areas, biomass energy, mushroom cultivation, packing materials, fuel, paper, bio-ethanol and industrial production etc, The solution to the problem of crop residue burning is fairly well known. The need is to make farmers aware about the alternatives as well as to devise long-term strategies to shift to alternative crops.

References

• Ralf Michaels, Verónica Ruiz Abou-Nigm and Hans van Loon. The Private Side of Transforming our World - UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the Role of Private International Law

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• Anuradha, Kadian, K. S., Meena, M. S., Meena, H. R., & Prashanth, C.S. (2021). Farmers’ perspective to mitigate crop residue burning in the Haryana State of India, Indian Research Journal of Extension Education, 21(2&3), 154-160.

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