-The Indian Express At current rates of depletion, Punjab’s entire subsurface water resource could be exhausted in a little over two decades. Jalandhar: As the discussion around Punjab’s massive groundwater crisis becomes more urgent, there is an increasingly stronger accent on diversification of crops, and a move away from water-guzzling paddy. At a meeting over the weekend, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, decided to strengthen maize — the most important alternative to...

-Down to Earth Although the actual amount of fines charged was not available; farmers continue to burn residues every season Crop residue burning in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh has been known, but nowadays it's spreading more frequently in other parts of country. Wheat stubble burning is a relatively new issue which started with mechanised Harvesting using combine harvesters. In the last four to five years, farmers from UP’s Ghazipur district, especially...

-The Indian Express He will sooner or later adopt stubble burning-free technology. Imposing fines or filing FIRs is counterproductive. Jalandhar: Urban residents and the courts may fulminate, but farmers in Punjab and Haryana aren’t anytime soon going to stop burning crop residue from the Harvesting and threshing of paddy using combines. They may well choose to harvest paddy with combines that have Super Straw Management System (SSMS) attachments and sow the succeeding...

-India Today Air pollution and smog continue to cover the Delhi skies for several days now. Crop burning in Punjab and Haryana continues unabated and it is likely to be so till November 15. Even as Delhi continues to battle a thick smog and hazardous pollution for days, stubble burning continues unabated in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. Paddy Harvesting season is at its peak in the two states and...

-The Indian Express Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been setting fire to their fields after Harvesting of paddy since the 1980s. That was since the time combine machines, instead of manual labourers, started being used for Harvesting and threshing their grain. Jalandhar, Pune: The problem of air pollution from paddy stubble burning is ultimately about a simple trade-off: between more smoke and less water. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been...