Punjab records 55,573 farm fires so far, Patiala has worst AQI among cities

Sangrur district registered maximum 566 fresh incidents of farm fires in Punjab while Mohali had the lowest at six

Punjab recorded 55,573 cases of farm fires till Thursday with Patiala topping the chart of the state’s most polluted cities with an air quality index (AQI) of 296 which is bracketed as “poor”.

Bathinda was second most polluted city with an AQI of 283, followed by Jalandhar at 271, Khanna and Ludhiana (259), Amritsar (251), and Mandi Gobindgarh at 239.

Bathinda was second most polluted city with an AQI of 283, followed by Jalandhar at 271, Khanna and Ludhiana (259), Amritsar (251), and Mandi Gobindgarh at 239, according to data procured from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Ropar was the least polluted with 161 AQI.

Sangrur district registered maximum 566 fresh cases of farm fires in the state and Mohali the lowest at six.

A Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) official said the AQI will continue to deteriorate in the coming days as there is no respite from stubble burning cases in the state. “The major bottleneck in the management of paddy stubble is the small window between paddy harvesting and sowing of wheat,” he said.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugarahan) leader Manjit Singh said farmers had no alternative but to burn the paddy residue as the government had failed to provide any assistance to curb the problem.

“Mere machinery won’t help as a farmer has to spend at least ₹5,000 to dispose of stubble over one acre. How can farmers afford this when they are already in financial distress? We are demanding ₹200 per quintal from the state government to manage stubble,” he said.