A tale of fire and water: Why Punjab’s paddy fields simmer

Farmers in Punjab burn paddy stubble to clear fields for wheat, worsening air pollution and health issues despite government efforts and judicial mandates.

Chandigarh The setting is picturesque. Golden paddy stalks crust the soil till the eye can see. The gentle October sun bounces off the knee-high stems. Piara Singh wades into his fields, running a practised hand through them. He scythed the stalks in half only days ago, separating the valuable rice from the appendage.

A farmer burns stubble after a harvest at a paddy field, on the outskirts of Amritsar. (PTI)

The kharif cycle, which begins in lockstep with the arrival of monsoon rains, is over. The rabi season beckons, the wheat stalks must go. So, over the