Stubble burning events drop by 31.5% from September to December: CAQM

While Haryana witnessed a reduction of 47.6%, Punjab saw a reduction of 30% as compared to the corresponding period last year. The NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi saw a combined reduction of 19.3% in farm fire counts this year, CAQM data showed

Overall paddy crop residue burning events between September and November saw a reduction of 31.5% since 2021 in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) districts in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said on Monday.

A farmer burns stubble on outskirts of Ludhiana, in Punjab in November 7. According to the weekly data compiled by the Ludhiana-based state remote sensing centre till November 18, paddy straw was burnt over 1,488,000 hectares, against last season’s 1,417,000 hectares on the same day. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

“According to the figures based on Standard ISRO Protocol for monitoring paddy crop residue burning events, the total paddy crop residue burning events from September 15, 2022 to November 30, 2022 in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, have come down from 78,550 in 2021 to 53,792 in 2022 – a reduction of 31.5%,” the CAQM said in a statement.

While Haryana witnessed a reduction of 47.6%, Punjab saw a reduction of 30% as compared to the corresponding period last year. The NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi saw a combined reduction of 19.3% in farm fire counts this year, CAQM data showed.

“This significant reduction in the current year is reflective of vigorous and consistent efforts made by the central government and state governments and other stakeholders,” it added.

The CAQM said the Centre had given more than ₹3,062 crore to Punjab and the Delhi and NCR governments between 2018 and 2022 to effectively manage farm stubble. Of this, ₹1,426 crore was released to Punjab.

The commission also said the use of crop residue management (CRM) machinery and other in-situ techniques had aided the government’s efforts to bring down stubble burning events.

“Punjab has as many as 120,000 CRM machines, Haryana 72,700 and NCR districts in Uttar Pradesh at least 7,480,” the CAQM stated.

Analysing the stubble burning in Punjab, CAQM said out of 23 districts in the state, the five hotspot districts with the most crop burning events this year are Sangrur, Bathinda, Firozpur, Muktsar and Moga, recording a total of 21,882 fire counts – 43.83% of the total fire counts in the current year.

“Only one district reported more than 5,000 fire counts. In comparison, in 2021, five districts of Punjab reported more than 5,000 fire counts totaling 32,053, contributing to 44.95% of fire counts. In 2021, there were 11 districts with a fire count of more than 3,000, contributing to 79.6% of total crop fire events reported in Punjab. In the current year, there were only 7 districts with more than 3,000 fire counts, contributing to 57% of total fire counts,” CAQM added.

However, to be sure, fire counts are not the only criteria to judge how the states have fared this season. HT had reported how there had been an increase of 5% in the total area on which paddy stubble was burnt in Punjab till November 18, as compared to last year.

According to the weekly data compiled by the Ludhiana-based state remote sensing centre till November 18, paddy straw was burnt over 1,488,000 hectares, against last season’s 1,417,000 hectares on the same day.

This season, farm fires also started late, owing to late October rains in the first half of the month. This compressed the stubble burning period into a narrower window.