In a first this season, all 23 dists of Punjab report field fires

BATHINDA: The average air quality index (AQI) in three regions of Punjab was calculated as ‘poor’ on Sunday as for the first time in this kharif season, all 23 districts reported paddy stubble burning cases.

On Sunday, the state saw a dip in farm fires reporting 2,175 cases as against 2,467 a day before, with Pathankot recording the first stubble fire case of the current paddy harvest season.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI of Jalandhar, the continuous ambient air quality monitoring station of Doaba region was measured at 229 while it was on the scale of 223 at Malwa region’s Mandi Gobindgarh. The only continuous ambient air quality monitoring station of the Majha belt showed Amritsar’s AQI at 201 on Sunday.

“The reason of poor air quality could be due to still conditions prevailing in the region. Strong winds (over 6 to 7km per hour) are required to push smog. However, condition are expected to improve due to western disturbance on Monday,” said KK Gill, a meteorological expert at the Punjab Agricultural University.

Data from Punjab Remote Sensing Centre says till Sunday, Punjab’s fire events count touched 45,319 cases, with Moga recording the highest of 337 fire events followed by 304 in Muktsar and 274 in Bathinda.

Five districts, including Barnala, Fazilka and Mansa, reported 100-200 farm fires. Other 14 districts registered less than 100 incidents of fires with Rupnagar and Pathankot registering one farm fire case each.

After 59 new cases were reported on Sunday in Sangrur, the home district of the chief minister Bhagwant Mann continues to top the chart with total of 5,186 incidents. Ferozepur and Bathinda have more than 4,000 cases each.

Till November 13, Patiala, Moga and Tarn Taran districts have registered more than 3,000 fire events this kharif season.

To date, the fire count in six districts, including Patiala, Ludhiana, Barnala and Faridkot is between 2,000 and 3,000.