Punjab has witnessed a remarkable decline in stubble burning incidents as the paddy harvesting season approaches its conclusion, with the state reporting only four farm fire cases on Saturday. This brings the total count for the ongoing season to 5,112 cases, representing a significant improvement compared to previous years.
Sharp Decline in Crop Residue Burning
The downward trend in agricultural fires began on November 13, with Punjab recording merely 36 cases over the last eight days. The daily breakdown shows nine incidents on November 22, three on November 23, four on November 24, three on November 25, six on November 26, five on November 27, two on November 28, and four on November 29.
The current season's total of 5,112 cases until November 29 marks a substantial 53% decrease from the 10,821 cases reported during the same period in 2024, and an impressive 86% reduction from the 36,614 cases recorded in 2023.
District-Wise Distribution of Farm Fires
Among the 23 districts of Punjab, all except Ropar have reported at least one stubble burning incident this season. The data reveals Tarn Taran leading with 696 cases, closely followed by Sangrur with 695 incidents. Other significantly affected districts include Ferozepur (548), Muktsar (376), Bathinda (369), Moga (332), Amritsar (315), and Mansa (306).
On Saturday specifically, Kapurthala reported two stubble burning cases, while Fazilka and Gurdaspur registered one incident each.
Contrasting Situation in Neighboring States
While Punjab shows remarkable improvement, the scenario remains concerning in other states. Madhya Pradesh has recorded over 15,000 farm fire cases, while Uttar Pradesh has reported more than 6,000 incidents. Collectively, six states have registered over 30,000 stubble burning cases this season.
According to the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space (CREAMS), 1,140 farm fire cases were recorded across five states on Wednesday, with Madhya Pradesh accounting for 793 cases and Uttar Pradesh for 316. On Saturday, the total stood at 579 cases across five states, comprising 328 in MP, 238 in UP, 5 in Rajasthan, and 4 each in Haryana and Punjab.
The cumulative data from CREAMS until November 29 shows Madhya Pradesh leading with 16,907 cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh (7,165), Punjab (5,112), Rajasthan (2,888), Haryana (659), and Delhi (5), bringing the national total to 32,736 farm fire incidents.
