E-Paper
Punjab: Sharp dip in farm fires, but air quality doesn’t improve
Punjab on Saturday reported 32 cases of active paddy stubble burning — the lowest in the agrarian state in the past 10 days
Bathinda : Punjab on Saturday reported 32 cases of active paddy stubble burning — the lowest in the agrarian state in the past 10 days.
The air quality remained in the “moderate” category (which causes breathing discomfort to people suffering from asthma and heart problems) at seven out of eight stations across Punjab.
Satellite imageries of the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) showed that out of 23 districts, fires were noticed in only seven. According to the data, a total of 877 active fires were reported till October 7 this year.
On Saturday, 14 incidents of paddy stubble burning were detected in Amritsar while Kapurthala and Tarn Taran reported four farm fires each and three incidents were reported from Patiala.
According to PRSC data, the number of fires till October 7 was only 392 in 2021 while it was 692 in 2022. Amritsar has recorded the most farm fires — 537 cases — this year so far followed by Tarn Taran, which recorded 120 fires.
Amritsar’s AQI was recorded as “satisfactory” at 70 on Saturday. Ludhiana’s AQI was recorded the worst at 179 followed by Rupnagar at 164 (both “moderate”).
According to official data, Punjab recorded 123 cases of stubble burning on October 1, followed by 119 on October 2, 105 on October 3, 95 on October 4, 98 on October 5 and 91 on October 6.
HT reported on October 5 that paddy harvesting, which began roughly a fortnight ago, has resulted in a surge in cases of stubble burning—rising 30% between September 15 to October 4, compared to the corresponding period last year—according to centralised data from the agriculture ministry-backed Indian Institute of Agricultural Research (IIAR).
According to the data till October 4, Punjab accounted for 656 stubble burning incidents, the highest, followed by Haryana’s 166. Uttar Pradesh had 74 cases, Madhya Pradesh 47, Rajasthan 45 while Delhi has had a single case.
State produces 180-200 lakh tonnes of paddy straw every year
With about 31 lakh hectares of paddy area, Punjab produces around 180-200 lakh tonnes of paddy straw every year. Of this, 120 lakh tonnes are managed through in-situ (mixing crop residue in the fields) and ex-situ (using stubble as fuel) management methods.
Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is attributed as one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR in October and November.
As the window for rabi wheat sowing after paddy harvest is very short, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the residue.
according to official data, Punjab recorded 49,922 farm fire events in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018 with many districts, including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar, witnessing large-scale stubble burning incidents.
Last year, Punjab witnessed a 30% drop in stubble burning incidents compared to 2021.
Paddy arrivals picks up pace
Paddy arrival has surpassed the 6-lakh tonne mark with 1.48 lakh tonnes of paddy arriving in mandis across Punjab on Saturday, according to the mandi bord data.
Of the total stock arrived in mandis so far, 5.56 lakh tonne was purchased from farmers.
Official record says government agencies procured 5.37 lakh tonnes while the private parties bought less than 20,000 tonnes.
On Saturday, 1.49 lakh tonne paddy was purchased in different mandis across the state.
