Punjab sees season’s maximum single day spike in farm fires at 1,251

According to Punjab Pollution Control Board data based on satellite imagery on November 18 as many as 1,251 cases of farm fire occurrence were reported in Punjab.

As Punjab’s average air quality index (AQI) continued to hover in ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’ category, the State saw a maximum single day spike in farm fires on Monday (November 18, 2024) during the ongoing ‘kharif’ harvesting season.

According to Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data based on satellite imagery on November 18 as many as 1,251 cases of farm fire occurrence were reported in Punjab. Muktsar district recorded the highest number of farm fires at 247, followed by Moga (149) and Firozpur (130).

Paddy (rice) harvesting is at its fag end in Punjab, and while the number of farm fire incidents in Punjab this year has seen a drop against the corresponding period of the previous year, however, the State has witnessed a gradual rise in farm fires during the past over a fortnight, raising concern surrounding the air pollution that continues to plague Punjab and neighbouring regions.

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According to the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS), run by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), which monitors stubble burning and provides daily reports, in Punjab on October 26, there were 108 farm fire (rice residue) cases, which rose to 730 on November 8, and on November 11 it was 418 while it was 509 on November 13, and it reached 1,251 on November 18.

The data reveals that the average farm fire numbers were on a relatively higher side when compared to the incidents before October 26. Stubble burning around autumn every year has been one of the contributing factors to air pollution across the country’s northern region including the National Capital – New Delhi and surrounding areas.

The PPCB data shows that in the ongoing kharif season (September 15-November 30) as many as 9,655 cases of farm fire occurrence have been reported in Punjab until November 18. Last year, during the same period, there were 33,719 such incidents were recorded while in the year 2022, there were 43,489 farm fire incidents recorded till November 18.