Kejriwal exhorts Punjab, Haryana to provide bio-decomposers to farmers

This year, 844 farmers in Delhi are going to spray the solution on about 4,200 acres of land, said the chief minister

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that like Delhi, all agrarian states should provide bio-decomposers free of cost to farmers in their states to control the problem of stubble burning.

Every year, Delhi’s air quality nosedives during winter due to large-scale stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. (File photo/HT Archive)

On Friday, Kejriwal initiated the process of making bio-decomposer solution in collaboration with Pusa Institute at Kharkhari Nahar, ahead of the harvest season when farmers start setting fire to their fields to get rid of the residual stubble.

“Now, there is a solution for stubble management; from making the bio-decomposer solution to spraying, it costs less than ₹1,000 per acre. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has also ordered all the states to use bio-decomposer so that the problem of stubble burning can be eradicated,” said Kejriwal while addressing the media.

Every year, Delhi’s air quality nosedives during winter due to large-scale stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. The change in wind direction carries the fumes from the stubble fire from the agrarian states to Delhi, deteriorating it’s air quality.

Senior Delhi government officials said the bio-decomposer solution is being prepared in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Pusa in the horticulture department’s nursery at Kharkhari Nahar, from where it will be supplied to farmers across the city free of cost.

“Last year, the Delhi government, in collaboration with the Pusa Institute, developed a unique solution for stubble management. We have prepared a bio-decomposer spray which is very efficient. Earlier, farmers would burn the stubble left in their fields after harvesting. Now, the stubble decomposes within 15-20 days of spraying the solution and turns into a fertiliser. Earlier, stubble was a liability for us when it was burnt, but now, once it decomposes, it turns into an asset,” Kejriwal added.

Environment minister Gopal Rai also stressed the need for state governments to work together to find a solution for stubble decomposition in order to fight pollution.