With an aim to save the people from the health hazards caused by deteriorated air quality due to stubble burning in the neighboring States, the Delhi Government will speak to the Centre and neighboring States of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana regarding implementing the initiative to decompose stubble and using it in the farming fields, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday.
The cost of spraying of compost in Delhi will be borne by the Delhi Government to ease the burden on the farmers, Rai said, adding that the Delhi Government is committed to develop a sustainable and effective solution to the issue of stubble burning which causes major pollution in Delhi especially during the winter season.
“The process of decomposing stubble and using it in the farming fields will be a great initiative. The Delhi government will speak to the Centre and states to implement this initiative and the cost of spraying of this compost in Delhi will be borne by the Delhi government which will ease the burden on the farmers,” he added.
Addressing the media following his visit to Pusa Agriculture Institute, Gopal Rai said that the air quality in Delhi becomes very dangerous during the winter season.
“Last year, the stubble burning comprised 44 per cent of Delhi's pollution apart from Delhi's own share of pollutants. In Punjab, around 20 million tonnes of stubble is produced, and last year around nine million tonnes of stubble was burned in Punjab.
In Haryana, around seven million tonnes of stubble is produced, out of which 1.23 million tonnes of stubble was burned last year, due to which people of Delhi had to suffer from major pollution last year," he said.
Rai said that the central government has devised a scheme in which aid is provided to the farmers for stubble. “The farmers have to pay half of the money and the rest of the half will be paid by the government for a machine that is required for the process,” he said.
The environment minister said, "I met the director of Pusa Agricultural Institute, who said that they have developed a recomposing technology which can turn stubble into manure, which can be used in the fields itself”.
"I believe that the same amount of money that is spent on the purchase of machines and on subsidy can be used for the decomposing of the stubble in those states. This will be a very successful initiative by the governments,” he said.
Rai further said that the environment ministry of the Central Government has a very important role to play in this initiative. “We will draft a proper strategy after discussion with the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," he added.