Punjab records highest farm fires in last five years

The area of stubble burning has also increased and the number of farm fires is set to rise further as the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre collects data up to May 31, which would be highest in five years

: Despite warnings from environmentalists and government’s initiatives to stop farmers from stubble burning, Punjab this year has recorded maximum number of 14,117 cases of farm fires in the last five years.

Punjab records highest farm fires in last five years (HT)

Not only the incidents, the area of stubble burning has also increased. On May 14, the total number of cases were 14,117, which is almost 4,000 incidents (40%) more than the previous year when the figure for the entire Rabi crop was 10,100.

However, the number of farm fires is set to increase further as the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre collects data up to May 31.

If we compare the corresponding figures of straw burning till May 14 for previous years, a total 7,808 cases were recorded by satellite in 2021, while the figure was 4,782 for 2020. By these figures, Punjab has recorded 80 percent more cases till date, as a total of 14,117 cases have already been reported till date.

“I fail to understand that this year the wheat husk is selling around ₹ 600 to 800 per quintal, but still farmers are indulging in residue burning. There is a lot of criticism, but no avail,” said Harvinder Singh, an environmentalist.

A lot of trees have been burnt alongside the roads, some road incidents have taken place, lots of birds have lost their lives or have been impacted due to the farm fires. The Punjab government has doled several benefits to farmers, but no one is considering stopping this menace, he said.

“It’s time to crack the whip otherwise the farmers won’t stop, as they can’t say that this is non saleable. Husk is very much in demand and fearing its shortage already, four districts have banned its burning as fuel,” he said, adding that the mindset needs to change.

The Punjab Agricultural University has already advised the farmers not to burn the straw. The agriculture department has also held several camps to stop stubble burning, but it failed to yield any positive impact.