Stubble burning becomes a distressing trend causing heavy losses to farmers in Khammam
Stubble burning is emerging as a serious concern in Khammam district, with repeated fire accidents causing heavy losses to farmers. Officials and farmer leaders have urged cultivators to avoid burning crop residue and adopt safer methods to manage agricultural waste
Khammam: Stubble burning, which troubles northern States such as Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh during October-November every year, has now become a distressing trend in Khammam district.
It has become a cause of concern as farmers continue burning crop residue to clear leftover stalks from fields after harvesting even as agriculture and revenue officials advise them not to follow the practice. It is often leading to fire accidents, causing financial loss to farmers.
A few days ago, two major fire accidents that occurred due to stubble burning in Chintakani mandal indicated the gravity of the situation. Last Sunday, a major fire accident took place at Patarlapadu village after a farmer burnt stalks in his field.
Similarly, on Friday, harvested produce, crop ready for harvest, oil palm and eucalyptus plantations were burnt in fire accidents at Narasimhapuram, Baswapuram, Lachagudem, Chintakani, Seethamapet and Timminenipalem villages in the mandal.
Farmers suffered heavy losses in both the incidents. Over 60 sheep perished and hundreds of quintals of farm produce were burnt at Patarlapadu, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 2 crore. Nearly Rs 20 lakh worth of farm produce, besides a tractor, was burnt in the Friday fires.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Telangana Rythu Sangham district secretary Bonthu Rambabu said burning crop residue in farm fields was a reckless act by senseless farmers. Farmers are resorting to stubble burning as it is a low-cost option to clear crop residue.
Farmers must follow in-situ techniques to prepare the field for the next planting season and crop residue must be ploughed directly into the ground to manage soil health. They should understand that burning crop waste would cause damage to other farmers, as it happened in Chintakani, he noted.
Engaging firefighters to control fires might not yield any result as dry crop residue and summer heat conditions help fires spread fast and, if accompanied by gusty winds, the result would be devastating, Rambabu noted.
Meanwhile, fire department officials complained that they have to rush to Chintakani mandal at least 10 times every summer. Despite several appeals, the farmers in the mandal have been acting negligently, a senior official said.
Additional Collector P Srinivas Reddy informed that tahsildar Babji Prasad had been directed to assess the losses caused by the fire accidents to provide compensation to farmers.
