CAQM calls for coordinated plans to prevent wheat stubble burning

CAQM directs Punjab, Haryana, and UP to implement action plans against wheat stubble burning for better air quality ahead of the 2026 harvest season.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR on Monday issued directions to the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, calling for coordinated and time-bound implementation of state action plans to prevent and eliminate wheat stubble burning during the upcoming 2026 summer harvesting season. This includes mapping each farm in all villages for wheat stubble management interventions, tagging specific nodal officers to a group of farmers, constituting a “Parali Protection Force” (PPF) at the district or block level and intensifying patrolling during late evening hours.

CAQM calls for coordinated plans to prevent wheat stubble burning

Issuing a statutory direction for the same, CAQM said complementary efforts were also expected from Delhi and Rajasthan on this.

CAQM noted that agricultural residue burning contributes to deterioration of air

quality locally, across the NCR and even in its adjoining areas, stating it requires structured seasonal preparedness. Data for the wheat harvesting season is monitored from April 1 till May 31.

As per the standard protocol developed by for counting and recording farm fires, the number of fire events recorded during wheat harvesting season in this period last year in Punjab, Haryana, and the NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh were 10,207, 1,832, and 259 respectively.

“Satellite-based monitoring during the wheat harvesting season (April–May 2025), recording such fire incidents across the region, highlighted the need for targeted wheat-season interventions alongside existing paddy-season measures,” CAQM said on Monday.

CAQM also called for suitable awareness programmes to be carried out; ensure optimum utilization and timely availability of crop residue management (CRM) machines to farmers; mandating rent-free availability of such machines for marginal farmers and providing adequate and appropriate storage facility for wheat straw, among other key steps.