Javadekar details steps on stubble burning to counter Delhi air woes

Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, addressing a press conference on October 7 spoke on the issue of stubble burning. Javadekar highlighted how stubble burning impacts Delhi’s air quality in the months of winter. He noted that the central Government has provided Rs. 1150 crore assistance for machines that will allow stubble to be converted to manure. 

"There is a need to do it much more. Now it has started, earlier it had not even started. It has been burning for 20 years, but work has started now,' Javadekar said in a statement.  
 

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The burning issue

Addressing a press conference, the minister said that the problem of burning stubble was old. He further added that steps have been taken by the Modi Government in order to tackle the problem. Javadekar, speaking of the issue, stated that farmers in Haryana and Punjab have been burning stubble for years now. Furthermore, he asserted that if such polluted air reaches Delhi, it is only going to add to the worries of the capital territory. 

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"The biggest question and it will come again is stubble burning," Javadekar stated at the press conference.  

"If the (polluted) air comes to Delhi, the issue becomes serious. For this, the central government has provided assistance of Rs 1150 crore and 18,000 machines have been given to farmers in Punjab and Haryana. They will not need to burn the stubble. It will be broken and will be turned into manure," 

Javadekar stated that the Government has for the first time made ‘construction and demolition waste management rules’ which are based on those followed for the construction of metros. He added that three units to deal with construction and demolition waste were working, with another four to be set up soon. The Minister asserted that these measures have prevented six lakh tonne of debris from flowing into the rivers and drains. Furthermore, he added that bio-mining was being used in landfills like Ghazipur which is going to help in segregating material in order to decompose organic material. 

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(With ANI inputs)