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Punjab records 1,921 farm fires, highest in single day this season
The total cases reported in the state during the corresponding period in 2022 and 2021 were 17,846 and 14,920 respectively
Punjab on Wednesday recorded 1,921 farm fires, the highest in a single day this season, taking the total incidents of stubble burning to 9,594.
According to the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), Sangrur topped the chart with 345 active stubble burning cases followed by 226 in Tarn Taran, 200 in Ferozepur, 153 in Mansa, 127 in Patiala, 97 each in Bathinda and Faridkot and 96 in Kapurthala.
On October 31, due to some technical snag at the PRSC, data was not released but Punjab reported 1,389 cases on Tuesday.
An official of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) said it is a matter of concern as the number of farm fires has almost doubled in the past three days.
“The cases have started increasing at this stage due to delayed harvesting of paddy in the state especially in the southern districts of the state. In the past years, the number of farm fires reported in the state used to be lesser during this time period,” he said.
The state reported 1,796 and 1,842 farm fires on November 1 in 2021 and 2022. The total cases reported in the state during the corresponding period in 2022 and 2021 were 17,846 and 14,920 respectively.
An agriculture official said due to delayed harvesting, the farmers are left with limited time to prepare their fields for wheat sowing.
“As per the field teams, farmers are reluctant to go for in situ management of paddy straw due to shorter window for wheat sowing. The farmers are setting paddy stubble ablaze as they find it convenient to prepare their fields for wheat sowing easily,” an official said.
Air quality further deteriorates
With the sudden spike in farm fires, the air quality has also deteriorated in the state. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Bathinda recorded the worst air quality index (AQI) at 282, which falls under the ‘poor’ category, followed by 262 in Mandi Gobindgarh (poor), 250 in Ludhiana, 223 in Rupnagar and 222 in Amritsar. ‘Moderate’ air quality was recorded in Patiala with AQI 165, followed by 162 in Khanna and 146 in Jalandhar.
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.
