ISAP conference, Dec 19, 2023

AAKASH Project
An Interdisciplinary Study towards Clean Air, Public Health andSustainable Agriculture:
The Case of Crop Residue Burning in North India

Sachiko HAYASHIDA
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN)

Acknowledgements: Prabir K. Patra, A. Biswal, M. Poonam, N. Yasutomi, H. Araki andAll members of Aakash projectAgriculture in Punjab

Historical Events(semi-arid/arid land)

1947 Independence
1960s~Green Revolution
1965

Increased production of wheat,sugar cane and maize

Development of canals
by Indian Govt.

Environmental Problems

Introduction of HYVIncrease in fertilizer &chemical use

CACP & FCI established
MSP started
Support for electricity inagriculture

1980s~ Mechanization

Mixed farming (wheat and cattle)

Use of Combine
Harvesters

Long stubbles
leftin the field

1997 Free electricity

Excessive pumping ofgroundwater

Groundwater depletionlate 1980s ~Stubble Burning

Delay of burning
more intensely2009 Water Act
2018-19 CSSPAM
Subsidies for new
machinary

Establishment of wheat-ricedouble-cropping
Increase in rice & wheat production(British Rule)

Irrigation of the Indus
Basin by developing
canalsIncrease in tube wells
Expand of irrigated farmland

1858 the Governmentof India Act

In 2010–11 Punjab produced 24
percent of the nation's rice and42 percent of the nation's wheat
and contributed 8.6 million tonsof rice and 10.2 million tons ofwheat to the national food grain.

Introdution of new system for straw management
Happy Seeder/Super Seeder etc.

2010s~ Severe air
pollution in Delhi

Why do farmers burn rice straw?
MonsoonRice Rice
Water Act in 2009
June

Post monsoon
Narrowwindow
Rice
Wheatharvest
Morestubbleseedingburningin an intensive, short,“later”
periodSep. andOct.
Nov.
Dec.

Wheat
Heat Wave
AprMayCut by a combine
harvester> 40 cmCut by hands

Ref. Balwinder-Singh et al. , Nature Sustainability, July 2019
Tradeoffs between groundwater conservation and air pollution from agricultural fires in northwest India

7th Nov, 2023

6th Nov, 2023

Many of themedia reports
have argued thatDelhi's airpollution isrelated to ricestraw burning inPunjab.

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/latestdaily-news-live-india-world-delhi-aqi-israel-hamaswar-breaking-news-and-updates-liveblog11680251.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/delhisair-quality-severe-noida-aqi-improves-gurugramfaridabad-schools-closed-latest-updates-on-airpollution-101699317084519.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india67330016

https://www.dailyo.in/news/delhi-ncr-chokeshttps://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh- in-toxic-smog-what-can-be-done-to-tonews/air-quality-dips-as-farm-fires-rage-in-punjab- improve-the-aqi-42261
101698953518626.html

What’s the reason of the extreme air pollution in Nov. in Delhi ?
The citizens of Delhi complain “this terrible air
pollution is caused by rice straw burning inneighbouring states after the rice harvest”
Kejriwal (Chief Minister of Delhi) has
called on neighboring states toenforce laws against burning
agricultural waste.

It is difficult to quantitatively assess theextent to which rice straw burning has
impacted air pollution in Delhi,
because most monitoring stations for air
pollutants are located in urban areas, withno data available for rural areas.

After the questionnaire survey by Aakash in 2020
(Yang et al., paper in preparation)

Awareness CHANGE

Electro-chemicalsensors
Alphasense corp.
CO, NO2, NO, Ox(=O3+NO2)
PM2.5 sensor(Developed by Nagoya Univ. and Panasonic Corp.)

Tanbir Singh et al. Sci. Rep. 2023
32 CUPI-Gs were installedwith 8 additional small sensors (P-sensors)in the area between Punjab and Delhi

PM2.5 mgm-3

Hourly data pf PM2.5

Backward trajectories at 500m height above Delhi on 03 November & 04
November 2022 along with paddy straw fires of pervious day at 01:30 pm IST150010005000New Delhi, Nov. 4thTanbir Singh et al.,Sci. Reports, 2023

Nov.14

Aakash, RIHN

Nov.1414 Nov. 2023
PunjabHaryana
NewDelhi

Nov.14

You can look at the measured data
weekly or daily at the Aakash HP

https://aakash-rihn.org/en/data-set/Towards reducing straw burningMitigation options for the stubble burning problem
Not successfulCompensation
Subsidies for the introduction of new machinery (In-situ straw management)
Increasing crop diversification : root solution to prevent groundwater
depletion

LPU – Aakash collaboration

Ex-situ management of rice straw
BiocharNon- Energy Use

Fertilization Effectiveness

Energy Use
BiofuelGeneration of Bio-ethanol, Bio gas, Bio Coal Hydrogen etc.
Pellets/Briquettes

Soil improvement effect

Otherscattle feedpaper-making material
mulch for other crops
bedding for garlic/mushrooms
packaging material
compost for fertilizer

Cofiring of pellets with coal
SAMARTH (Sustainable Agrarian Mission on use ofAgro Residue in Thermal Power Plants)
Co-firing of thermal plants (5%-10%)• India needs 76 Mega tons of pellets for co-firing(5%) and 152 Mega tons (10%)(Prof. Kamal Vatta, seminar at RIHN, 2022)

India-Japan Environment Week
The Ministry of the Environment, Japan(MOEJ), and the Ministry ofEnvironment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), India, jointlyorganized.

Opening Ceremony, Jan. 12th

Date: Friday, Jan 12-13, 2023
Venue: The Imperial, New Delhi

Indian Oil

Patra

Vatta

Aakash project Seminar, “Toward clean air in North India”

Mr Akihiro
Nishimura,Inubushi Minister of theEnvironment,
Japan MoE

Mr Bhupender
Yadav, Union
Minister forEnvironment,
Forest andClimate Change,
India MoEFCC

Biochar production(National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Japan)Dr.
Shigeto
Sudo

Grind MillTROMSO

ActiveDiscussion on
enery use ofcrop residue

Briquet made of 100 % rice-husk or rice-straw (TROMSO, Japan)

JCM：Joint Crediting Mechanism
Agreement between Japan and India
partners expected to be signed soon

We hope that JCM's new business will belaunched with Japanese technology.

10/24/2023

Summary• Aakash project conducted the intensive measurement
campaigns during straw burning season in 2022 and 2023.
• Clear linkage between Delhi’s severe air pollution in Nov. 2022
• Considerable local pollution contribution as well as straw burning in2023 (preliminary)• Crop diversification experiments with LPU• Biochar usage and study of GHG gas emissions• Biofuel usage of rice straw may be possible• JCM project in future?

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