Punjab saw highest single-day number of farm fires at 219

Patiala

According to official data, 219 new farm fire incidents were recorded in Punjab on Tuesday; The number reached 2,356, the highest single-day increase this season; This is approximately 50% less than last year.

The state recorded 1,898 and 1,068 farm fires on October 29, 2022 and 2023, respectively. According to Punjab Remote Sensing Center data, there were 2,356 farm fire incidents in Punjab from September 15 to October 29 this year, while there were 5,254 such incidents in the same period last year. The state had recorded 12,112 farm fires during the same period in 2022.

Burning of paddy straw in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming rise in air pollution in the national capital during October and November. Since the time window for rabi crop wheat after paddy harvest is very short, farmers set fire to their fields to quickly clear crop residue for planting the next crop.

According to Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data, Ferozepur tops the list with 45 cases, followed by 38 cases in Sangrur and 22 cases in Patiala.

PPCB data showed that out of 2,356 cases so far, the highest number of cases (496) were reported from Amritsar, followed by Tarn Taran (389) and Patiala (288).

PPCB officials have expressed concern over the possible increase in stubble burning cases in the Malwa region, which is the highest contributor to the state’s overall farm fire incidents.

According to officials, farmers in the Malwa region were harvesting paddy on a large scale in the last few days and the number of farm fires is expected to increase in the coming days.

“Sangrur, Patiala and Ferozepur are the hotspots of stubble burning. A PPCB official said that there has been an increase in farm fire incidents in these areas in the last two days, which is alarming.

PPCB chairman Adarsh ​​Pal Vig said Malwa districts have already started reporting more number of farm fires.

“Despite the increase in farm fire cases in Malwa region, the number of farm fire cases is still 50% less than the count in the corresponding period last year,” Vig said.