PANJIM: The District Collectors have strictly prohibited the burning of dry grass or crop stubs in the agriculture lands during the ongoing farming season.
The advisory issued by the District Collectors has been issued after Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) expressed apprehensions that smoke emitting from the fire in the fields could cause harm to people, who have been staying indoors during the lockdown.
“The DFES reported that for the oncoming harvesting season, the farmers may resort to burning the standing grass of crop stubs from the previous season in order to fertilise the soil for next season. There is caution against this proactive due to the pollution of the atmosphere through emission of greenhouse gases to the air and it raises the risk of wildfire spreading through the grass and flying embers,” North Collector R Menaka noted in the order released last week.
Hence, the Collector ordered that burning of standing grass of crops of previous season is prohibited. Similar order was issued by South Collector Ajit Roy, who also prohibited the practice.
DFES Director Ashok Menon had proposed the districts administration to prevent burning of grass.
Speaking to Herald, he explained that the smoke would harm the people and therefore proposed to invoke provisions of Disaster Management Act 2005.
“We need to contain grass fires occurring on the highway, university fields as the smoke would cause more harm to people who are indoors and having breathing problems. I made a request to both the collectors and accordingly they issued the direction in public interest,” Menon said.
