Farmers in Punjab (India) are recycling their crop stubble instead of burning it, to help reduce severe air pollution.

Farmers in Punjab (India) are recycling their crop stubble instead of burning it, to help reduce severe air pollution.

Farmers in Punjab (India) are recycling their crop stubble instead of burning it, to help reduce severe air pollution.

Farmers in Punjab (India) are recycling their crop stubble instead of burning it, to help reduce severe air pollution.

In response to worsening air pollution in the capital New Delhi, many farmers in Punjab state have switched from burning stubble to collecting it and sending it to factories for recycling.

Farmers in over 800 villages of Punjab are collecting crop stubble using balers and sending it to recycling factories instead of burning it.

Farmers in over 800 villages of Punjab are now collecting crop stubble using balers and sending it to factories instead of burning it, helping to reduce the severe air pollution in New Delhi.

Farmers in over 800 villages across Punjab are now adapting to the use of balers to stack the stubble

Between November 1 and 15, the city’s mean AQI stood at 348, an improvement compared to 367 in 2024 and 376 in 2023.

Stubble burning every winter is a major contributor to New Delhi being one of the world's most polluted cities, with the smoke combining with vehicle exhaust, dust and remaining trapped in atmosphere.

Punjab has around 12,000 villages, and stubble burning is also prevalent in other northern states.

Traditionally, stubble burning has been the quickest way for farmers to clear fields between rice harvesting and wheat sowing, typically in early to mid-November

In Punjab, many farmers have joiined the fight against seasonal air pollution by sending their crop stubble to recycling facilities. This move significantly lessens the winter smoke that blankets New Delhi, as the stubble is repurposed into valuable products such as biogas and bio-fertilizer.

To combat the worsening air in India’s capital New Delhi, several farmers in the neighbouring northern state of Punjab are packing off crop stubble to factories for recycling instead of torching it.

To combat the degrading air quality in the national capital, several farmers in the neighbouring northern state of Punjab are packing off crop stubble to factories for recycling instead of lighting it.

Punjab has around 12,000 villages and stubble burning is also common in other northern states.

Between November 1 and 15, Delhi logged an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 348, its cleanest early-November in three years — but that still falls in the ‘very poor’ category.

Higher pollution readings from private sources have led to concerns that the government is fudging air quality data. But the answer is more complex.

An AQI of 301–400 is classified as ‘very poor’, while 401–500 falls into the ‘severe’ category.

Farmers in over 800 Punjab villages are now using balers to collect crop stubble instead of burning it. They send it to factories where it’s turned into biogas, bio-fertiliser and cardboard.