Punjab Sees Season’s Highest Daily Spike In Farm Fires At 147

Punjab on Monday reported the season’s highest single-day surge in stubble burning, with 147 farm fire incidents recorded across the state, according to official data. This pushed the total number of cases since September 15 to 890, PTI reported. 

Data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) revealed that Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts accounted for the majority of the cases, as many farmers continued to ignore government appeals to refrain from burning crop residue.

The state has witnessed a sharp increase in farm fire incidents, rising by 537 since October 20, when the count stood at 353.

Tarn Taran reported the highest number of cases at 249, followed by Amritsar with 169, Ferozepur with 87, Sangrur with 79, Patiala with 46, Gurdaspur with 41, Bathinda with 38, and Kapurthala with 35. Pathankot and Rupnagar districts have yet to report any cases. Meanwhile, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur recorded three incidents each, Malerkotla four, and Ludhiana nine.

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the spike in air pollution in Delhi and surrounding regions during October and November, following the paddy harvest. With a narrow sowing window for the Rabi (wheat) crop, many farmers resort to burning residue to quickly clear their fields.

According to the PPCB, Punjab’s total paddy cultivation area this year stands at 31.72 lakh hectares, of which 59.82 percent had been harvested as of October 26.

Authorities have so far imposed environmental compensation fines amounting to Rs 19.80 lakh in 386 cases, with  Rs 13.40 lakh already collected. In addition, 302 FIRs have been registered under Section 223 (disobedience of order promulgated by public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in connection with farm fire incidents.

The state government has also issued 337 ‘red entries’ in the land records of farmers involved in stubble burning. A red entry restricts farmers from securing loans against or selling their land.

Punjab recorded a total of 10,909 farm fires in 2024, a significant 70 percent drop from 36,663 cases reported in 2023. Previous years saw much higher numbers: 49,922 in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, and 50,590 in 2018. Districts such as Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, and Amritsar have consistently accounted for a large share of these cases.

With PTI inputs