Cases of stubble burning in Punjab broke the last two years record

Published on: 11-Oct-2023

With the increase in the amount of stubble burning across Punjab, most of the villages of the state also have haze. This year the total number of incidents in Punjab has touched the figure of 1,027.


Paddy harvesting has started in all the states of India. Like every year, this year also incidents of burning straw are being seen in Punjab. However, there has been a significant increase in cases of stubble burning this year. As a result, there is a haze situation in most villages of the state. According to the report of Tribune India, the cases of field fires in this season are much higher than the last two years. This is raising questions on spending crores of rupees to ban the burning of crop residues by the government. It is to be known that 58 cases of stubble burning have been filed in Punjab on Monday. With this, the total number of incidents has reached the four digits of 1,027 this year.


Increase in cases of stubble burning

Significantly, till date, excessive incidents of field fires in Punjab were being recorded from the border areas. At present, farmers in Malwa region have started burning paddy straw. Its effect will also be seen on the air quality of Punjab and Delhi. According to data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Center (PRSC), 58 stubble burning incidents in the state were captured by a satellite on 9 October. At the same time, in 2021, 114 stubble burning incidents were recorded on the same day. Also, three such cases were reported in 2022.


Also read: Central government takes necessary steps for stubble management, 600 crores given to three states


Incidents of stubble burning broke the record of the last two years

The matter of concern is that the total number of this year 1027 is much higher than the related data for the last two years. During 2022 and 2021, Punjab had 714 and 614 incidents respectively till 9 October. Indeed, the cases till date are 43.8% higher than the previous year and 67% more than 2021 figures (till 9 October). Overall, in 2022, 49,900 fields were reported to be fired. 71,304 in 2021; 76,590 in 2020; And 52,991 incidents were reported in 2019.


Possibility of increase in cases of stubble burning - Agriculture Department

An official of the Agriculture Department says that "farmers in Sangrur, Patiala and Ludhiana have started harvesting crops and in these three districts, the field fire will increase considerably by next week." Experts say that "nothing special can be done, as the farmers are adamant on compensation of Rs 2,500 per acre. However, the government has not agreed at all. ” Also, the Amritsar administration has imposed a fine of Rs 6.97 lakh on 279 people for burning stubble.