IMPACT OF CROP RESIDUE BURNING IN PUNJAB

Stubble burning is an easy method of crop residue management applied by the farmers in India. Farmers of the Punjab also took advantage of this method of management. Use of combined harvester creates problem of stubble management as it leaves behind more amount of rice stubble to be burnt in the fields. Burning of farm waste causes severe pollution of water and land on regional as well as locals scales. It is estimated that straw burning leads to nutrient loss i.e. 3.85 million t of organic carbon, 59,000 t of nitrogen, 20,000 t of phosphorus and 34,000 t of potassium. This stubble burning also impacts the nutrient condition in the soil. It results in the emission of harmful gases, if it is added to the gases available in the air like methane, nitrogen oxide and ammonia can cause air pollution problem occurs from stubble burning. These gaseous emissions can cause health risk, irritating asthma, chronic bronchitis and decreased lung function. Stubble burning also contributes indirectly to the increased global warming which leads to ozone depletion. Several efforts have been made to reduce crop residue burning by various state and central administrations and regulatory bodies so far. Crop residue burning has been notified as an offense under the Air Act of 1981, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and other appropriate Acts.