Only four farm fires detected in Punjab
Experts say satellite images could not detect small fire events due to overcast conditions on Monday
Punjab recorded only four cases of stubble burning on Monday even as the air quality index remained between ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’ category. Experts at the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre attribute it to cloudy conditions as thermo-sensors and satellite images could not detect small fire events.
BATHINDA: Punjab recorded only four cases of stubble burning on Monday even as the air quality index (AQI) calculated by the monitoring stations remained between ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’ category.
As per the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, two farm fires were registered in Mansa while Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib reported one case each. The total residue fire events recorded in Punjab this kharif season have reached 45,323.
Experts at the remote sensing centre, however, attributed the fall in farm fires on Monday to the overcast conditions.
“Due to the cloudy conditions, thermo-sensors and satellite images could not detect small fire events,” said an expert at a Ludhiana-based facility keeping track of farm fires.
Sangrur, the home district of the chief minister Bhagwant Mann, continues to top the chart with over 5,000 stubble burning incidents. Ferozepur and Bathinda have more than 4,000 cases each.
The fire count in six districts, including Patiala, Ludhiana, Barnala and Faridkot, is between 2,000 and 3,000. Five districts, including Fazilka and Mansa, have reported 100-200 farm fires.
AQI situation
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Monday placed Ludhiana’s AQI at 206, which falls in ‘poor’ category.
The continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations at other places in the state, including Jalandhar, Bathinda, and Patiala, recorded the AQI as ‘moderate’.
Figures from Mandi Gobindgarh were not available on the CPCB portal.
Agriculture expert and former director of Punjab State Seed Certification Authority Baldev Singh said that the stubble-burning season has entered the final phase as farmers are currently busy sowing wheat.