Ahead of stubble burning season, Delhi CM implores NCR states to use Pusa tech

New Delhi: Ahead of winter, during which time, the NCR is enveloped in a thick blanket of smog and other pollutants — much of it due to stubble burning, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday stated that his government's bio-decomposer solution had been a success in curbing stubble burning, even according to the Centre's assessment and that neighbouring states should start using it.

The Delhi government got the solution, developed at PUSA, audited by WAPCOS, an agency of the Centre and the audit proved that the bio-decomposer has been an effective solution. The report states that 90 per cent of farmers stated that the stubble decomposes in 15-20 days after spraying of bio-decomposer and fields are now ploughed once or twice instead of 6-7 times.

The report also mentions that the amount of organic carbon increased by 42 per cent, nitrogen in the soil increased by 24 per cent, bacteria content increased 7 times, the sprouting of wheat increased by 17-20 per cent and the yields had shot up by 8 per cent.

The CM said that the bio-decomposer has been highly effective in decomposing stubble thus making the farmers happy and has assisted in reducing air pollution. "The Delhi government believes in providing solutions; we have given a solution to prevent stubble burning; air pollution caused by stubble burning can be stopped if other states adopt the solution," Kejriwal said.

The CM will soon be meeting the Union Environment minister and will urge him to ask the states to stop stubble burning by using the bio-decomposer, he said at a press conference.

The Delhi government has sprayed the solution on 1,935 acres of land in 39 villages of the state after the Development Department reached out to the farmers.

"Essentially, the stem or the stubble left behind gets completely decomposed by spraying it. As soon as it decomposes, the land is ready to be sowed. One need not cut or burn the stubble. So far, this solution has given us tremendous results," Kejriwal said.

The Delhi government approached the Commission for Air Quality Management with the solution. The CAQM stated that they needed a third party to verify the statement. The State Government then got WAPCOS — a PSU of the Jal Shakti Ministry of the Centre to do an audit of the effectiveness of the solution. The WAPCOS surveyed 79 farmers in 15 villages spread across 4 districts.

"After completing the process, they have very clearly stated that farmers are extremely happy with the performance of the bio decomposer. I reiterate, WAPCOS is a company of the Centre which has independently investigated the solution," the Delhi government said.

Winter Action Plan

Delhi's Environment minister Gopal Rai is set to hold a review meeting today over his government's response to the air pollution problem ahead of winter.

Officials across departments and MCDs will be in attendance. The Delhi government said that its "Winter Action Plan" will focus on 10 key issues related to air pollution, including stubble burning, smog towers and dust emissions. The plan is set to be ready by the end of this month. As part of the plan, the city government will upgrade the 'Green War Room' launched last year to monitor and coordinate anti-pollution efforts and update the "Green Delhi" application to effectively address complaints related to pollution-causing activities.