Burning Stubble Might Call For Punishment: UP Officials

According to a senior official, farmers who burn their stubble will face punishment because the practice not only harms the environment but also releases methane, sulphur dioxide, and other hazardous chemicals that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and other health issues.

"While an awareness programme including familiarizing the farmers with the nutritive value of stubble has started on September 26. It is going on in a geometrical progression in the district as the farmers themselves are educating other farmers. The violators have been warned of punitive action," a district magistrate of Uttar Pradesh told PTI on Sunday.

He claimed that in order to keep a careful eye on stubble movement, the panchayat secretaries and lekhpals have been told to create a calendar of paddy harvesting in their region with the assistance of farmers.

According to officials, rice is separated using a device attached to the cutting machine, and the leftover rice is spread side by side in the farmer's field. They added that spreading urea after ploughing and briefly flooding the field will create the ideal, nutrient-rich manure.

They further said the farmers are ignoring the fact that by burning one tonne of stubble, they lose nutrients necessary for the health of the land and cattle, such as 400 kilogrammes of organic carbon and 5 kilogrammes each of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulphur.

The farmers who contribute their extra stubble to gaushalas, stray cattle shelter houses, or other charity organizations would be honoured, they continued.