Amritsar ,Manawala : Students of Delhi Public School, Amritsar rose to the call given by ‘Punjab Pollution Control Board’ (PPCB) to schools for spreading awareness about stubble burning in fields under the ‘Save the Earth Campaign”.
A recent horrendous incident had caused alarm bells on the hazards of such burning that contributes to air, soil pollution but also for travelers on roads adjoining fields. In the incident three young boys on a mischievous ride were scarred alive in an auto-rickshaw wherein smoke from burning fields caused poor visibility and the vehicle turned turtle in the burning field causing death of all three.
Under this campaign 30 students of the School’s ‘Environment Club under supervision of two teachers visited Manawala village to convince villagers on the adverse impact of burning of crop residue on environmental pollution and the health of the agricultural soil, post burning.
School Principal Mrs Sangeeta Singh informed that the school had already faced the brunt of the such stubble burning in fields located around the school, that scorched and scarred full grown trees along its boundary wall and had taken up the matter with PPCB.
Students tried to convince the farmers to stop the practice of stubble burning, which results in loss of organic matter, kills the essential micro-organisms and also emits poisonous gases that pollute the environment. In the interaction farmers citied financial problems of purchasing or hiring a ‘rotovator’ –device for shredding crop stubble that required funds and labor and urged the government to make the device subsidized so that farmers could avail it and also use the stubble as fodder for animals.
Students had one to one conversation with the farmers and asked them the reason behind the burning of crop residue. They were convinced with the counseling and came up with their financial problems to the situation. They told that purchasing or hiring the rotovator to dispose off the stubble by converting them into pieces requires funds and labour. So they demanded for the help from government’s side or some other alternative method.
In continuation of this endeavor the School’s Science department conducted a seminar cum awareness programme in which farmers and village panches of the adjoining villages were invited. To enable them to understand, the adverse consequences of burning crop residue.