Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the Delhi Government will formally file a petition in the AQC (Air Quality Commission) with the impact assessment report and appeal the commission to direct the other States to implement the bio-decomposer technique.
The Chief Minister said the technique, developed by the Pusa Agricultural Institute has been a success, and the impact assessment report across 24 villages in Delhi has shown that around 70-95 per cent of stubble had turned into manure, in as low as Rs 30 per acre.
Kejriwal also shared the results of the bio-decomposer technique used in the farmlands in Delhi and urged the Centre and State Governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to implement the same technique to prevent stubble burning.
Addressing a digital press briefing, Kejriwal said, "I want to congratulate you all on the occasion of Chhoti Diwali, and I pray to God for you and your family to stay healthy. For the last 10-12 years, the smoke from stubble burning in October and November reaches Delhi and travels across Northern India, which causes massive pollution in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. I would not go into the reasons but people across North India suffer due to massive pollution from stubble burning every year. I have spoken to farmers across states such as Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana, and they are the most distressed due to stubble burning. They suffer the most due to this pollution; just think about all the people living in a village in a state like Punjab, where stubble burning is practiced by the farmers.”
In a bid to resolve this problem, they have developed a bio-decomposer solution to convert the stubble into manure. When a farmer burns stubble, it destroys the good bacteria on the fields as well as the fertility and productivity of the soil. The bio-decomposer solution helps retain the good bacteria and improves the fertility of the soil along with preventing pollution.
“We sought after the Pusa Institute to implement the bio-decomposer technique, which they were experimenting with for 3-4 years.
We sprayed the solution on 2000 acres of farmlands in Delhi free of cost, starting October 13,” he said.
"I have with me the report prepared by the scientists of the Pusa Research Institute, assessing the impact of the bio-decomposer technique in 24 villages across Delhi, on a sample basis. This is the physical verification report by the scientists, who visited the locations after 20 days of the solution being sprayed on the fields," he added,
According to the scientists, around 70-95 per cent of the stubble had decomposed into manure. The CM said, "We talked to the farmers, they are very happy with the results. We have the resolve to stubble burning with us, it is on the governments to act now. Would the other state governments implement it or continue to suffer from pollution?"
The Central Government has constituted an Air Quality Commission to monitor the pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. The Delhi Government will formally file a petition in the AQC with this report and will put forward its appeal for the AQC to direct the other states to implement the bio-decomposer technique. The CM said that he hopes this is the last year when the farmers and the people of these states have to suffer due to stubble burning.