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There's more to stubble burning menace than what meets the eye or congests the lungs. Ever wondered if stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has historically worsened air quality or is it a recent phenomenon?
The answer lies in the cultivation practices of some of the marginal farmers in these states. These farmers, who own small landholdings, rarely have the means to deploy mechanised threshers on their fields.
Rather, they harvest their paddy by hand and in the process, the stock (or stubble) of the plant remains rooted to the soil. These leftover stocks are ploughed into the soil or are used as fodder for cattle, thereby negating the need to dispose them by burning.
Ploughing the stalk back to the field also increases the soil organic carbon and increases its fertility.
Hence, it might be safe to assume that the stubble burning menace is a modern crisis catalysed by the advent of mechanised farming.