Unintended consequences of Indian groundwater preservation law on crop residue burning

Meghna Agarwala, Shampa Bhattacharjee and Aparajita Dasgupta

Economics Letters, 2022, vol. 214, issue C

Abstract: This paper examines the unintended consequences of a policy aimed at improving the groundwater level on crop residue burning in India. The Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009 implemented in two Indian states bans the transplantation of paddy before mid-June to preserve groundwater. Theoretically, this leaves a short window of time for clearing the field before the next crop and thus increases the likelihood of farmers adopting time-saving methods like crop residue burning. Using a difference-in-difference framework we find that the ban results in both delay and an increase in crop residue burning in the winter months.

Keywords: Crop residue burning; Groundwater; Water policy; Waste management; Air pollution; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: K32 O13 Q10 Q18 Q25 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Working Paper: Unintended Consequences of Indian Groundwater Preservation Law on Crop Residue Burning (2021)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:214:y:2022:i:c:s0165176522000969

DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2022.110446

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