CAQM Team Reviews Stubble Management in Firozpur, Faridkot

A high level team of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) went to the Firozpur and Faridkot districts of Punjab to see for itself how measures against paddy stubble burning are working on the ground during the harvesting season. The team was led by Dr T. S. Panwar, Member (Technical) of the Commission, and the visit followed an earlier trip to Moga district.

The review meeting

A joint meeting was held at the office of the Deputy Commissioner in Firozpur with the Deputy Commissioners and the district officers of both districts. The team went through the readiness of the two district administrations and the way departments are coordinating for in situ and ex situ handling of paddy straw. Availability and deployment of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery, surveillance in the fields, watch over hotspot areas and enforcement action were all examined.

What the Commission asked for

• Strengthen both in situ and ex situ management of paddy straw.
• Make CRM machines reach farmers in time and see that they are used fully.
• Improve coordination among farmers, aggregators, industry and other stakeholders.
• Use drones and low cost sensors for technology based monitoring and trend analysis.
• Tell farmers plainly about the harm caused by stubble burning and by fine particulate matter.

Visit to hotspot villages

After the meeting the team travelled to selected hotspot villages in both districts to judge the situation on the ground and to check whether the announced steps are actually being carried out. Hotspot villages are those that have repeatedly reported a large number of farm fires, so they receive closer attention.

Why this matters

Burning of paddy straw after the harvest is one of the sources that push up pollution in the capital region every autumn. In situ management means mixing the straw back into the soil with machines, while ex situ management means lifting it away for use as fuel or raw material. The Commission is a statutory body for air quality in the National Capital Region and the areas around it, and its field visits to hotspot districts of Punjab are part of a continuing exercise to prevent farm fires rather than only to punish them.