Nov 1, 2023, 07:32 PM IST
On October 31, the Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi governments were requested by the Supreme Court to submit affidavits outlining their efforts to reduce air pollution, including the prohibition of crop burning.
This came about after the Court was presented with a report by the Commission for the Air Quality Management (CAQM) stating that stubble burning was one of the causes of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR.
1. In Punjab, using rice residue as animal feed is not a very prevalent practice among farmers. The state's wheat straw output is thought to be utilized nearly 40% of the time for animal dry feed.
2. The production of electricity from rice residue is another application for rice residue that is being promoted by a number of organizations and departments.
3. The Department of Livestock Production and Management, College of Veterinary Sciences, Punjab Agricultural University, did a study and recommended that farmers in the state use paddy straw as bedding for cross-bred cows during the winter months. It has been discovered that using paddy straw bedding in the winter.
4. To produce paper, paddy straw is also combined with wheat straw in a 40:60 ratio. Energy can be produced from the sludge by putting it through bio-methanization. Some paper mills that have already put the technology into practice are using it to meet 60% of their energy needs.
5. A project to convert agricultural residue into biogas has been overseen by the Punjab State Food Commission (PSFC) using technology created by the Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute (SPRERI).
6. The physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the soil—such as its pH, organic carbon content, ability to hold water, and bulk density—benefit from the addition of straw, as per a paper published in SpringerLink.
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