Crop stubble burning" has become an annual recurrence and is intensely debated as one of the key factors leading to the alarming fall in air quality in northern India particularly in Delhi NCR.
It is the practice of burning the residues and stubble of the paddy crop after harvesting as the farmers are in hurry to clear their fields for the next sowing cycle.
In winters, as the air is heavier with minimal speed of winds the adverse impact of smoke from the paddy crop residues travelling hundreds of kilometres from the fields of Punjab and Haryana, is more diabolical leading to a health emergency. There are other contributors to air pollution like construction dust, road dust, industrial activity, garbage burning, power generation, vehicular emissions, and forest fires.
Also Read: Centre accepts farmers' demand to decriminalise stubble burning: Agriculture Minister Tomar The automobile industry has been working overtime to bring India's emissions standards at par with Europe in just 20 years.
Leapfrogging from BSIV to BSVI emission standards in April 2020, bringing in advanced fuel-efficient and safer vehicles and having a proper scrappage policy in place all over the country is a step in the right direction.
The PLI scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell, & Auto & Auto Component Sector, further, will give a boost to local manufacturing of advanced and clean energy auto components and vehicles.
It will not only be an enabler to meet our country's commitments at the Paris and now the Glasgow Accord, but also reduce carbon emissions from the road transport sector and reduce the oil import bill. During the onset of winter when stubble burning gains prominence, the percentage contribution from other sources reduces commensurately with stubble burning contributing significantly to the air pollution causing haze over NCR airshed. Like previous years, this year too the contribution of stubble burning has been very significant.
Since June 2018, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has been working on a unique initiative called "Sukh da Saah" (SDS). Meaning "breath of relief" in Gurmukhi, wherein the automobile industry partnered with CII Foundation to work with farmers in Punjab to counter the practice of crop stubble burning with alternate solutions.
Also Read: Centre accepts farmers' demand to decriminalise stubble burning: Agriculture Minister Tomar Adopting 7400 acres of farmland across 9 villages in 3 farmer-cooperatives covering 1500 farmers of Patiala district in 2018, we are using in-situ technology through equipment like happy seeders, rotavators, and "mulchers".
In the first year during 2018-19, we achieved a 71% reduction in stubble burning and in the second year during 2019-20, it was 82%. In the third year during 2020-21, we achieved 92 % reduction in stubble burning, against our target of zero stubble burning. This was despite the ongoing farmers' agitation and more importantly the COVID19 pandemic. In 2021, we were successful in covering additional 7 villages, impacting 1300 farmers and 7000 acres of farmland. Thus, cumulatively in 2020-21, the initiative was implemented in 16 villages with 5 farmer-cooperatives covering 14,400 acres of farmland and 2800 farmers. The engagement with these families has given us key insights as outlined below, making it a truly humbling experience personally for the Indian automobile industry.
It is everyone's problem No farmer ever supports this act of crop stubble burning. They feel helpless without access to the right training and equipment to counter this act. The solution does not lie with the farmer himself. All stakeholders like central, state, local governments including technology providers, research institutes, industries like agriculture and automotive, social activists and educational institutions have to come together and tackle it as a problem that involves us all. We simply cannot operate in silos on a task of such long-term repercussions on the environment and human health. Need to anticipate and prepare well in advance
Though we know the crop cycles very well, we are on the back foot when it comes to pro-active preparation at the ground level in the form of distribution of masks, closing of schools, watering of roads and trees, stopping all construction activity, ban on garbage burning and temporary decongestion of traffic. Assessment of equipment needed for the in-situ [and ex-situ] solutions need to be done well in advance to ensure procurement, training and physical preparedness. Root cause analysis and provision of end-to-end solutions are the key. Where preventive measures may take time to deploy, the cures should be in place. Show, don't tell
On-ground demonstration of the alternative solution is crucial to building acceptance and adoption. The farmer needs proof of performance more than presentations and talks. We invested in equipment in consultation with the cooperatives and deployed a team of trainers and supervisors at ground zero. Only when farmers saw the obvious benefits of our proposed solutions in the fields, they realised the futility of stubble burning and they become change agents. The credibility of the promise and reliability of service were crucial factors in our favour, in the first season itself and which is continuing and going strong with the time Social engagement ensures sustainability
To make a project of this nature sustainable, it has to be owned by the farmers and their families. The elders and children should drive the mission at the village level. The spouses have to play a key role in ensuring compliance with the promise of not burning the crop stubble. While equipment and training allow adoption, formation of a new habit ensures total conversion and sustainability. While for SIAM this is just a project, for the farmer it is integral to his livelihood, health, and wellbeing.
A thousand pilots needed
Our initiative covered 14,400 acres of farmland, in all. The total area under agriculture in the state is around 10.3 million acres. We need more industries and corporates to come into the fray and replicate our model across the state. We need them to help improve upon what we are doing to ensure a better impact. The cost of undertaking this project at our scale is imperceptible as compared to that of advertising spots on the recently concluded 2021 edition of IPL.
That is all it takes, to bring a breath of relief to millions of our brothers and sisters across the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. The smiles on the faces of the children that we came across in the 16 villages of 5 farmers' co-operative societies, Nabha Block of Patiala District in Punjab are simply priceless. It tells us that we are on the right path with the single-minded focus of "BUILDING THE NATION, RESPONSIBLY"! (The author is Director General - SIAM.)