Even though the paddy harvest is over, there is a decline in farm fires in Punjab, with 404 cases reported on Sunday.

Of these, 332 (82%) cases were recorded in southern Malwa districts where harvesting is still ongoing. According to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, from September 15 to November 17, the state witnessed 8,404 stubble burning incidents, recording a 75% decline in such cases compared to the same period last year. The state saw 47,788 and 33,082 farm fires during the same period in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Burning stubble after paddy harvesting in October and November in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for increased air pollution in Delhi.

Since the time window for rabi crop wheat after paddy harvest is very short, some farmers set fire to their fields to quickly clear crop residue and plant the next crop.

On Sunday, 74 cases were recorded in Ferozepur, followed by 70 in Bathinda, 56 in Muktsar and 45 in Moga. Faridkot and Fazilka districts reported 30 and 29 cases respectively. Overall, Sangrur, the chief minister’s hometown, has seen the highest number of farm fires (1,574) this season. However, only 17 cases were reported in the region on Sunday.

The state recorded 49,922 fire incidents in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018.

“We were expecting negligible cases at this point but 404 is a big number when only less than 5% of the paddy harvest is pending. DCs and SSPs have already directed officials in the Malwa region to be more vigilant to combat the stubble burning issue,” said a senior official. he said. However, the air quality index in the state did not show much improvement despite light showers in some areas. (with agency input)