00:00Farm fires continued to rage in India's northern Punjab state on Friday as farmers rushed to
00:07get their fields ready for the next crop, while smoke from the burning stubble creates
00:12a haze of smog over neighboring New Delhi.
00:15Farmers in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana burn stubble after their paddy harvest
00:20during a 20 to 25-day window to get their fields ready for sowing the wheat crop.
00:26The period coincides with the onset of winter in most of North India, and the smoke engulfs
00:31the Indian capital New Delhi every year, causing air pollution and health problems for its
00:36residents.
00:38Farmers say they need help and financial assistance from government authorities to help them transition
00:43to a more expensive but cleaner way of dealing with their farm residue, instead of burning
00:48it.
00:49New Delhi and its adjoining regions have been under a smog cloud, registering hazardous
00:53levels of air pollution, over the past fortnight.
00:57Experts blame a major share of that pollution on the smoke from stubble burning in the neighboring
01:02states.
Comments