Smoke from stubble burning threat to motorists, leads to fatal mishaps

Tribune News Service

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, October 24

Stubble burning remains a matter of concern for government agencies like the agriculture department and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) during the harvesting season every year. Several camps are organised and messages disseminated to convince farmers not to burn the paddy stubble. Apart from polluting the environment and posing health risks to residents, stubble burning can be more devastating as it results in fatal mishaps because of smoke emanating from the burning pile.

Last year, lives of two families turned upside down when they lost their members in an accident that took place because of smoke from the burning stubble in the Shahkot area.

The deceased were identified as Hardev Singh (58) from Nimajipur village and Gurdev Singh (15) from Heran Bhoop Singh village. Both were reportedly coming from opposite sides and died on the spot due to a head-on collision as their view was blocked by the thick smoke cover caused by stubble burning in a village. The incident happened on October 15 last year.

A year later, Baljit Kaur, mother of Gurdev Singh, who was heading home from tuition and died in the accident, said she was devastated. “I have nothing to say. I had planned a bright and great future for him, he was in Class 8 and suffered a tragic death,” she said.

Now, Baljit Kaur lives with her father-in-law. She had lost her husband 10 years ago. “I am just numb with shock,” she said.

As per the information, as many as 1,549 stubble burning incidents were reported in 2019. The tally increased in 2020 when the district witnessed 1,763 incidents. In 2021, more than 1,800 incidents were reported and in 2022, above 2,000 cases were recorded. The cases are on the rise every year.

Avinash Kumar, Sarpanch of Bajra village in Jalandhar, has set a great example. For the last five years, no stubble burning cases have been reported in the village.

“I witnessed two elderly people on the road who were feeling dizzy as a result of smoke emanating from a farm fire. I shared the incident with my family and then got to know that several people had even lost their lives because of severe burns. That was the time I decided not to burn stubble again,” he shared.

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#Agriculture #Environment #Farm Fires #Pollution #Punjab Pollution Control Board PPCB #Stubble Burning