Ex-situ management in focus: Procure biomass pellets locally, PPCB tells thermal plants
The officials of the board held meetings with the respective power plant authorities to ensure utilisation of biomass pellets in their units to handle paddy stubble through ex-situ management (removing and utilising the straw) techniques.
With the aim of scientifically managing paddy stubble, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has directed coal-based thermal power plants in the state to procure biomass pellets and briquettes from nearby areas.
The officials of the board held meetings with the respective power plant authorities to ensure utilisation of biomass pellets in their units to handle paddy stubble through ex-situ management (removing and utilising the straw) techniques.
The state is expecting a production of nearly 19.32 million tonnes of straw from the paddy cultivated in nearly 31 lakh hectares. As per the action plan submitted by PPCB to the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM), the state has planned to manage 11.4 MT through in-situ management (mixing stubble into the soil), while, 7.06 MT will be handled through ex-situ management involving industrial boilers, biomass power plant, compressed biogas plant, bio-ethanol plants, thermal powers plants and brick kiln.
Last year, 65% (12.7 MT) of stubble was managed through in-situ management, while the remaining 5.96 MT (34%) was managed through ex-situ measures.
PPCB’s chief environmental engineer (air), Krunesh Garg, said the thermal plants at Rajpura, Talwandi Sabo, Rupnagar, and Lehra Mohabbat have been assigned monthly targets of 7% each related to the use of paddy straw pellets as fuel.
“The power plant authorities shall ensure that the targets set by CAQM are achieved to avoid any penal action, besides ensuring uninterrupted supply of biomass pellets generated from paddy stubble only from within the state,” he said.
Garg added that the board’s regional officers in Ropar, Patiala, and Bathinda have been tasked with conducting regular audits to ensure compliance.
“The power plant managements have been asked to streamline the purchase of biomass pellets on priority as a quarterly audit will be done to assess their performances,” he said.
According to available information, as many as 40 plants for manufacturing paddy straw pellets have been set up across the state.
The state recorded a significant drop 70% in crop residue burning cases last year. In 2024, the state recorded 10,909 cases, then 36,663 cases in 2023. In the past four years, the stubble burning cases have reduced by 84% as the state reported 71,000 cases in 2020.
Stubble burning usually peaks in October, when farmers are clearing their fields of paddy stubble after harvests to prepare them for the next crop, and lasts for around three weeks to a month, sending Delhi’s already poor air quality into hazardous territory. From this year onwards, the state allowed early sowing of paddy crop, resulting in the advancement of paddy harvesting season by 15 days from September 16 onwards in order to provide enough time to the farmers for preparing fields of wheat crop.
Farmer booked for burning stubble in Barnala
Barnala/Sangrur: Anmolak Singh of Kuba village was booked under section 223 (disobedience of orders) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita following two incidents of stubble burning in the Barnala district. The farm fires over 2 acres of land from the same owner were reported via remote sensing satellite data, PPCB executive engineer Surinder said. SP Rajesh Chhibar confirmed that a case has been filed at the Dhanaula police station.
