Blurb: PPCB officials fear that cases may spike after panchayat polls and procurement picks up pace
Punjab on Monday recorded 68 cases of stubble burning taking the state’s count to 940.
On Sunday, the state had reported 162 cases. Of the cases reported today, Amritsar recorded 18 cases, while Tarn Taran logged 14. Amritsar district continues to lead the chart in state stubble burning count reporting 339 cases, to date. It is followed by another border district Tarn Taran with 184 cases this season, while Sangrur has reported 77 cases.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data reveals that there has been no substantial decline in farm fire cases this year as compared to the previous seasons during the same period. Punjab had reported 1,319 cases in 2023 and 1,069 cases in 2022 during the corresponding period.
In 2023, Punjab’s total farm fire count dipped by 25% as per the PPCB and Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) figures. Against the total farm fire count of 49,922 in 2022, the numbers came down to 36,623 last year. However, the area under stubble fire increased by 27% to 19 lakh acres in 2023 against 15 lakh acres in 2022. Punjab starts tracking farm fires on September 15.
Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials said that the state could witness an uptick in the coming days once the panchayat polls are over and the procurement operations also begin which have been stalled for various reasons.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials said that the state could witness an uptick in the coming days once the panchayat polls are over and the procurement operations also begin which have been stalled for various reasons.
{{/usCountry}}“Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Moga and Bathinda are the hotspot districts. As farmers get free from panchayat elections and procurement operations start the cases might see an uptick. The majority of farmers have also not harvested paddy so far. On Tuesday, farmers in the Malwa region will start harvesting paddy and farm fire cases are likely to rise,” a PPCB official said, pleading anonymity.
Meanwhile, PPCB chairman, Adarshpal Vig, said, “There has been a decline in farm fire cases, this year, when compared to the last season during the corresponding period. However, the decline is not on much expected lines. We had expected a substantial decline. We are hopeful that farmers will not resort to stubble burning in the coming days.”