Punjab records highest number of stubble burning incidents

Chandigarh: Punjab on Tuesday reported the season's highest farm fire count at 6,668 as farmers continued to defy a ban imposed on stubble burning, triggering fears of upending the gradual improvement in air quality registered over the past two days.

According to satellite data collected by Punjab Remote-Sensing Centre, Sangrur and Bathinda were the worst-affected districts with the highest number of farm fire incidents of 1,007 and 945 on a single day, respectively.

Miffed at the deterioration in air quality in Delhi over the past few days, largely blamed on rampant stubble burning in neighbouring states during winters, the Supreme Court has called the chief secretaries of three states Punjab,

Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to appear in person on Wednesday to report to it on the

matter.

While the Delhi government has blamed crop residue burning in neighbouring states for toxic haze over Delhi, the farmers express helplessness at not having any viable alternative to stubble burning. The plumes of smoke emanating from farm fires are carried by the winds blowing in this season to NCR.