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Exclusive | Pollution high year-round, CAQM targets summer wheat stubble burning: Why new order to Punjab & Haryana is significant

Pollution watchdog extends vigil beyond Oct-Nov paddy farm-fire season.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Dec 5, 2025 11:14 AM IST

For the first time, CAQM wants Punjab and Haryana to monitor summer stubble-burning as well

The picture shows stubble-burning near Bathinda on April 26, 2022. (Express photo by Anju Agnihotri Chaba)

Faced with a high year-round baseline for air pollution, which pushes air quality over northwestern India into the hazardous zone during the October-November kharif stubble-burning season every year, the Centre’s most powerful pollution watchdog has decided to extend its vigil to the rabi season as well.

This means that activities in agricultural fields in Punjab and Haryana will, for the first time, come under direct on-the-ground scrutiny following the harvesting of the winter wheat crop in April-May.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has written to the chief secretaries of the two state governments directing them to extend ground-level monitoring and enforcement measures to eliminate farm fires during the rabi season, The Indian Express has learnt.

In its letter sent on December 1, CAQM has asked the states to submit a parali (crop residue) action plan for the wheat crop cycle ending before the summer of 2026.

Since 2022, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has been carrying out satellite-based monitoring of wheat residue-burning under its Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS) program.

The findings are alarming — during the wheat harvesting period from April 1 to May 31 this year, satellite data recorded 10,207 fire events in Punjab, 1,832 in Haryana, 14,398 in Uttar Pradesh, 34,429 in Madhya Pradesh, and 49 in Delhi. The counts for UP, MP, and Delhi were the highest since monitoring began in 2022.

Also, the numbers of incidents of summer stubble-burning in all states contrast sharply with the numbers from the closely watched October-November period, during which farm fires, especially in Punjab and Haryana, fell to historical lows this year. Stubble-burning in these states is seen as a significant contributor to the terrible air pollution over Delhi-NCR at the onset of winter every year.

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The picture shows stubble-burning near Jalandhar on May 17, 2019. Anju Agnihotri Chaba

The CAQM letter to Punjab and Haryana noted that despite measures taken to eliminate paddy stubble-burning in 2025, both detected and undetected fire events were reported, which point to gaps in implementation.

The Commission had, on November 21, sought detailed reports from the states on fire locations that satellites had failed to detect, the methods used to track such events, and the preventive and punitive actions taken against the burning of paddy crop residue.

Since 2020, IARI has been monitoring active fire counts in the kharif season from September 15 to November 30, which frequently coincides with air pollution levels reaching ‘Severe’ (AQI 400+) or worse in the capital.

Sophiya Mathew

Sophiya Mathew is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She joined the Delhi bureau in 2024, and has specialization in Integrated Multimedia Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. Professional Background Core Beats: Her reporting is primarily focused on the Environment and Education. Specialization: She has gained recognition for her ground-level reporting on the Yamuna floodplains and the socio-economic challenges faced by those living on its banks. She also focuses on the disparities in Delhi's education system, ranging from elite private schools to government institutions and refugee education. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent work has been heavily centered on Delhi's severe winter pollution crisis and the government's regulatory responses: 1. The Air Pollution Crisis "A tale of two cities: Delhi govt schools choke in bad air, private classrooms set up air filters" (Dec 20, 2025): A high-impact feature contrasting the "Clean Air Bubbles" in elite schools with the reality of government school students who are exposed to an equivalent of 17 cigarettes a day due to outdoor exposure. "Delhi sees season's worst air day, second worst December AQI in nearly a decade" (Dec 15, 2025): An analytical report on the meteorological patterns trapping pollutants in the NCR. "Delhi bans non-BS VI vehicles from outside: Why curbing vehicular pollution is key" (Dec 17, 2025): Explaining the science behind targeting specific vehicle vintages to lower particulate matter. 2. Enforcement & Regulations "No fuel at pumps in Delhi without valid PUC certificate from December 18" (Dec 17, 2025): Breaking the news on the environment ministry's strict "No PUC, No Fuel" policy. 3. Education Policy "Law to regulate school fee in Delhi risks becoming procedural, say parents" (Dec 13, 2025): Investigating the loopholes in the new Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. "Monsoon Session: Private school fee regulation Bill cleared after four-hour debate" (Aug 9, 2025): Covering the legislative passage of the controversial fee hike regulation. Signature Style Sophiya is known for her observational depth. Her reporting often includes vivid details from school corridors, hospital waitlists, or the banks of the Yamuna to illustrate how policy failures affect the city's most vulnerable residents. She is a frequent expert guest on the 3 Things podcast, where she explains the complexities of Delhi’s environmental laws. X (Twitter): @SophiyaMathew1 ... Read More

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