Punjab Records 147 Farm Fires in Single Day: Highest Spike of the Season Amid Ongoing Stubble Burning Crisis

Punjab experienced the highest single-day increase of 147 farm fires this season on Monday, bringing the total incidents since September 15 to 890, according to official data.

The majority of stubble burning cases were concentrated in Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts, as revealed by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) statistics, with many farmers continuing to ignore the state government's requests to cease crop residue burning.

Farm fire incidents in the state have increased by 537 from October 20, when only 353 cases were recorded.

The data shows Tarn Taran reported the highest number at 249 incidents, followed by Amritsar with 169, Ferozepur with 87, Sangrur with 79, Patiala with 46, Gurdaspur with 41, Bathinda with 38, and Kapurthala with 35.

Notably, Pathankot and Rupnagar districts have not registered any stubble burning cases so far this season. SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur reported just three cases each, while Malerkotla recorded four and Ludhiana nine.

Stubble burning practices in Punjab and Haryana are frequently cited as major contributors to Delhi's air pollution, especially after paddy harvesting in October and November.

Farmers often resort to burning their fields to quickly clear crop residue due to the limited timeframe available between paddy harvest and wheat sowing season.

According to PPCB figures, Punjab has 31.72 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation this year. As of October 26, 59.82 percent of this area had been harvested.

Environmental compensation fines totaling Rs 19.80 lakh have been imposed in 386 cases thus far, with Rs 13.40 lakh already collected.

Authorities have filed 302 FIRs related to farm fire incidents under Section 223 (disobedience of order promulgated by public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Additionally, 337 red entries have been marked in land records of farmers who burned crop residues—a penalty that prevents farmers from obtaining loans against their farmland or selling it.

Punjab has seen a significant 70 percent reduction in farm fires, with 10,909 incidents recorded in 2024 compared to 36,663 in 2023.

Historical data shows 49,922 farm fires in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, and 50,590 in 2018, with districts like Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, and Amritsar consistently reporting high numbers of incidents.