Farmers cite lack of options as stubble burning turns air toxic in northern India

Smoke billows out of the fields in India's Punjab state as several thousand acres of crop stubble are set on fire, wrapping surrounding areas in a thick, grey blanket, Qazet.az reports according to Reuters.

The national capital Delhi and surrounding areas are enveloped in a layer of smog each winter as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from the crop stubble burning in the states of Punjab and Haryana.

Raging farm fires in these states have become a common sight as farmers burn crop waste to clear their fields after a harvest and prepare for the next sowing. Typically, the harvesting of summer-sown crops starts in October and sowing for the winter crop is carried out a couple of weeks after the harvest.