Bio-decomposer highly effective in decomposing stubble; neighbouring states should also implement it: Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday informed that the Delhi Government’s bio-decomposer has turned out to be a smashing success in curbing stubble burning.

The CM said that the bio-decomposer is highly effective in decomposing stubble; farmers are very happy, neighbouring states should also implement it.

Delhi Government sprayed the bio-decomposer for free on farmlands to prevent stubble burning and the CM has urged the centre to mandate it for other states as well. He said that there is no point blaming & penalising farmers when the state governments have done nothing to curb stubble burning.

The CM said that the Delhi Government got the solution audited by WAPCOS, an agency of the Centre and the audit has proved that bio-decomposer is a very effective solution.

WAPCOS reports say that 90 per cent farmers stated that stubble decomposes in 15-20 days after spraying of bio-decomposer; fields are now ploughed once or twice instead of 6-7 times; the amount of organic carbon increased by 42 per cent; nitrogen in the soil increased by 24 per cent; bacteria content 7 times, the sprouting of wheat increased by 17-20 per cent and the yields increased by 8 per cent.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “Thanks to the efforts of the 2 crore people of Delhi, the air pollution levels have significantly gone down in the state. But now, we are entering the peak season of October-November. From October 10 onwards, we will start witnessing rising pollution levels till the end of November. A big reason behind this is the smoke that is generated due to stubble burning in Delhi’s neighbouring states. Till now, all the governments used to blame each other on this issue. State Governments would accuse the Centre of not releasing funds, Centre would claim that the states are doing nothing. But no one’s going to earn anything out of this blame game. We need to find solutions instead of being petty.”

Explaining the process that leads to stubble burning, the CM said, “Before taking a shot in the dark, we must understand what stubble & stubble burning is. In October, farmers harvest their Paddy crop. When they cut the crop to harvest it, they leave a significant portion of the lower stem behind. This leftover part is called stubble or ‘Paraali’. Post the harvest season, a farmer barely has 20-25 days to sow the next crop of wheat. During this time, the farmers need to get rid of the stubble to clear their fields. The most convenient method to do this is to burn the stubble. And that is how stubble burning smoke gets a bump.”