Comprehensive crop-residue management is needed to improve air quality

Burning of crop residues has a hazardous impact on the quality of air is a well-established fact. Every year, we witness this phenomenon in the northern India during the wee hour of winter. While the central as well as state governments have been taking measures to curb the deterioration in air quality, there is still an urgent need to device a comprehensive plan that ensures long-term resolution of this problem. Revitalisation of agricultural research to develop short-duration, less water-intensive seeds; dedicated intervention for promoting resource conservation technologies, such as conservation agriculture, and utilisation of crop residue for sustainable energy production are some of the measures we must focus on.