Estimating loss of ecosystem services due to paddy straw burning in North-west India

Crop residue burning is severe in rice-wheat cropping system of North-western states (Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and western Uttar Pradesh) of India, where mechanized harvesting of rice using combine harvesters is a common practice, and management of leftover residue in the short window of 10-15...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of agricultural sustainability 2019-03, Vol.17 (2), p.146-157
Main Authors: Kumar, Suresh, Sharma, D. K., Singh, D. R., Biswas, H., Praveen, K. V., Sharma, Vikas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural equipment
Biomass burning
Burning
Carbon dioxide
Carbon monoxide
Cereal crops
Combine harvesters
Crop residue burning
Crop residues
Cropping systems
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Essential nutrients
Harvesting
Hazard identification
Health hazards
Health risks
Nitrogen oxides
North-west India
Nutrients
Oryza
Oxides
Photochemicals
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Rice fields
Soot
Straw
Sulfur
Sulfur dioxide
Wheat
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Summary:Crop residue burning is severe in rice-wheat cropping system of North-western states (Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and western Uttar Pradesh) of India, where mechanized harvesting of rice using combine harvesters is a common practice, and management of leftover residue in the short window of 10-15 days for timely sowing of wheat is a formidable task. Moreover, there is a lack of user-friendly, cost-effective, and economically viable options and, around 23 million tonnes of rice residue is burnt annually in the region. Burning biomass not only pollutes environment but also results in loss of appreciable amount of plant's essential nutrients. Straw burning releases soot particles, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, thus causing serious deterioration in atmospheric quality and human health hazards. We attempted to identify and quantify the environmental cost of paddy straw burning in North-west India. Using extant coefficients, it is estimated that cost of paddy residue burning is INR (Indian National Rupee) 8953 per ha, and the social cost of burning is INR 3199 crores per annum in the region.
ISSN:1473-5903
1747-762X
DOI:10.1080/14735903.2019.1581474