State witnesses over 1,000 stubble burning cases for 2nd straight day

The CAQM data shows that farm fires dipped by 56% in Punjab as compared to corresponding period last year

CHANDIGARH : With the paddy harvesting nearing end, Punjab witnessed more than 1,000 stubble burning cases for the second consecutive day on Monday.

According to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), the state reported 1,030 farm fires, taking the total number of cases to 6,284. The single-day count was 1,068 on Sunday.

The incidents of farm fires, however, are less compared to the corresponding period last year. On October 30, 2022, Punjab reported 1,761 stubble burning cases. the count was 1,373 in 2021.

The air quality of Bathinda, Amritsar and Ludhiana deteriorated to from poor to very poor as during evening hours, smog effect took the AQI to level above 300.

On Monday, Sangrur topped the chart with 198 cases of stubble burning, followed by Tarn

Taran 129 and Ferozepur 124, according to PRSC data.

Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind alarming spike in air pollution in the national capital in October and November. As the window for rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue for sowing of the next crop.

Data of the past two years shows that Punjab has witnessed lesser number of farm fires till October 30 this year compared to the corresponding period (till October 30) in 2022 and 2021, when the state saw 13,873 and 10,229 cases, respectively.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) data says that stubble burning cases dipped by 56% in Punjab and 40% in Haryana between September 15 and October 30 this year compared to 2022.

Agriculture department officials say there might be a spurt in stubble burning incidents in the coming days. “We are trying our best, but some farmers are adamant on burning paddy straw. Most of the farm fires are taking place in the evening hours,” said an agriculture department official.

Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman Adarshpal Vig said that government is continuously monitoring the situation. “There is enough machinery for the ex-situ and in-situ handling of straw, and farmers should use it to end this practice of stubble burning,” he said.

Punjab has about 31 lakh hectares of paddy area and it produces around 180-200 lakh tonnes of paddy straw every year.

Five-fold rise in Haryana farm fires in a day

AMBALA : Haryana recorded 75 new incidents of stubble burning on Sunday, registering a 435% hike in the number of farm fires, according to the official data released on Monday.

As per the Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC), 14 cases of farm fires were recorded on Saturday.