Punjab’s farm fires halved, yet Capital’s AQI unaffected

NEW DELHI: Farm fires in Punjab, often blamed for the rise in Delhi’s air pollution, have gone down by 50 per cent since last year in the post-harvest period, with little effect on the air quality in the national Capital. From September 15 to October 27, Punjab has seen 1,995 farm fire cases as compared to 4,059 in the corresponding period last year, as per data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre.

The farm fire incidents in the period have gone down by 75 per cent since 2022. The state recorded 8,147 farm fires in 2022 in this period.

After paddy harvesting in October and November, stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and states adjacent to Delhi are said to contribute to pollution in Delhi. Paddy procurement is underway in Punjab.

On Sunday, Punjab saw 138 farm fires -- Ferozepur with highest such incidents, followed by Sangrur and Fatehgarh Sahib, according to data.

In 2022 and 2023, Punjab recorded 1,111 and 766 farm fires on the same day, respectively. Despite a 26 per cent drop in total farm fires to 36,663 in 2023, air pollution in Delhi remains a concern, with an AQI of 355 categorised as “very poor.”

The short window for sowing Rabi crops, like wheat, leads some farmers to burn crop residue. Punjab, with over 3.1 million hectares of paddy, produces 18 to 20 million tonnes of paddy straw annually. Historical data shows a significant rise in farm fires over the years, with 49,922 incidents in 2022 and higher figures in

previous years.