The Punjab government has sounded a red alert in districts downstream of the Pong and Bhakra dams, including Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran and Ropar, as Beas and Sutlej levels rise due to heavy rain in catchment Himachal Pradesh
Both Bhakra and Pong Dams are brimming after heavy rain in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh. Both dams are managed by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).
In October and November during paddy harvest season, Punjab produces 22 million tonnes of paddy stubble, out of which 40% (8.8 million tonnes) is used in the boilers, as industrial fuel and mixed in the soil and rest approximately 13.2 million tonnes in set ablaze leading towards a serious health and environmental hazard, as per official state figures
Close to half the paddy cultivation area in Punjab has been sown with a faster-maturing variety that leaves behind less stubble, potentially reducing pollution caused by farm fires in November. Typically, farmers use a variety that takes longer to mature and produces more stubble. Due to floods in July, farmers were forced to re-sow the shorter duration variety. This year, nearly 50% of the paddy area is under the faster-maturing variety. However, rice millers fear less rice yield from the new variety. Farmer unions have called for compensation for the extra effort taken to prevent stubble burning. | Latest News India
Notifications issued for 39 municipal councils, while the schedule for five corporations namely Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Phagwara to be announced after the delimitation exercise