Stubble-burning trend shifts: Punjab and Haryana improve; UP, Rajasthan worsen
A total of 17,003 residue-burning events were detected in these states from September 15 to November 10, the ICAR said.
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Commuters move through a thick layer of smog at the Ladowal bypass in Ludhiana on Monday. Experts blame the formation of smog to burning of crop residue after paddy harvesting. Punjab has recorded 6,611 stubble-burning incidents, according to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data, till November 10. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)Satellite data monitoring of stubble burning across six states suggests a significant shift in stubble burning patterns this paddy season — states such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, with low farm fire incidents previously, saw an increase in the number of farm fires, while states like Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, known for higher farm fire incidents previously, recorded a drop.
On November 10 alone, according to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), satellite remote sensing detected 1,357 active stubble-burning events across Punjab (345), Haryana (22), Uttar Pradesh (128), Rajasthan (79), Madhya Pradesh (783) and Delhi (0) — accounting for 8 per cent of the season’s cumulative fires.
A total of 17,003 residue-burning events were detected in these states from September 15 to November 10, the ICAR said.
Punjab recorded 6,611 fires (lowest in the past five years and down from 23,626 last year), Haryana recorded 981 fires (also lowest in the past five years and down from 1,676 last year) and Madhya Pradesh recorded 5,818 fires (a decrease from 7,891 last year). Madhya Pradesh had, however, less cases in 2021 and 2022 when it recorded 3,412 and 4,656 incidents, respectively.
In contrast, states showing an uptick in fire incidents include Delhi 12 this year compared to 4 last year, Uttar Pradesh 1,926 fires, up from 1,533 last year, and Rajasthan 1,655 fires, an increase from 1,191 last year. Also, Rajasthan showed the highest trend in the past five years, recording 434, 755 and 1,100 fire incidents in 2021, 2022 and 2020, respectively.
A sharp decline in farm fires in Punjab is notable, with the state recording only 6,611 incidents this year— a significant reduction in the past five years when cases reached as high as 72,499 in 2020.
Haryana has, too, shown an improvement, reporting the lowest incidents in the past five years, down from a peak of 4,937 fire incidents in 2021.
The declining trend in Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh points to evolving stubble management practices. This shift could have broad implications for air quality, particularly as pollution level typically spikes during this season. Punjab and Haryana which had 32 lakh and 15 lakh hectares, respectively, under paddy cultivation this year, appear to be making a headway in curbing residue burning.
“These trends underline the dynamic nature of stubble-burning practices and the need for continuous monitoring and tailored interventions to address regional challenges effectively,” said Punjab Pollution Control Board Chairman Dr Adarsh Pal Vig, adding: “Now we have to see burnt areas recorded by the satellite, which could be more than the recorded farm fire incidents.”
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