JEYPORE: The menace of stubble burning after the end of kharif season is making life difficult for people in Jeypore who held a meeting at Badakudi on Sunday, December 12, 2021, and appealed to the district administration to take immediate action.
Farmers in Jeypore, Borigumma, Kotpad and Kundra are increasingly resorting to the practice of setting fire to the straw heaps instead of using them for traditional purposes like cattle fodder.
Environmental experts expressed concern over the smoke billowing out of heaps of straw leading to pollution besides posing health hazards. Despite repeated pleas to Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) over the past two years to spread awareness about air pollution in the tribal areas, no action has been taken yet. “Government agencies including OSPCB, Forest and Environment and Agriculture departments should implement ways to curb stubble burning immediately,” said Paban Padhi of Boipariguda.
Contacted, Regional Officer of OSPCB, Rayagada PK Kar said that the higher officials of the board have been apprised of the matter. “We are also trying to motivate people to utilise the straws rather than destroying them and adding to the pollution,” added Kar.