Hyderabad: Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao�on Tuesday�appealed to farmers�to�not burn leftover stubble in the paddy fields.�Apart from causing fire accidents, the practice also�causes health problems to people, he said.�
The minister�directed�agriculture department officials to take steps to halt burning�of stubble.�
Asked�about the directive, W.G. Prasanna Kumar, senior social scientist from the�TS�Pollution�Control�Board said,�burning stubble was harmful. He said the farmers would find it more beneficial if they tilled the land along with the hay and turned it into manure.
He said that smoke from stubble burning was especially harmful in winter as it caused the formation of smog — a combination of smoke and fog. He said that smoke particles get suspended and comes to the ground level as there is less air movement during winter.
