For the past two weeks I’ve been noticing stubble burning in Sarkaghat area of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh.
After cultivating the Kharif crop, the remains of the crop are left at the fields. Farmers burn these residual material on a large scale, despite knowing the condition of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana these days.
People out here feel that because there are enough trees, my town can cope with the smoke that’s emitted from stubble burning. It’s difficult to breathe when I return from school around 3:30pm. Even if I change my route, it doesn’t help because the air is very polluted.
Before the stubble burning started, my town was pretty and beautiful with clear blue skies. But now all is lost.
I wish the farmers could leave the straw stubble in their fields to decompose, and later use it as manure or best use it as fodder for the animals.
If it goes on like this, it won’t take time for Mandi to turn into Delhi.
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