Farm fires cross 1k mark in Punjab; districts bordering Pak have highest count

Punjab’s farm fire tally, on Tuesday, crossed the 1,000 mark when the state reported as many as 173 farm fires. As of today, the season’s count has reached 1,113.
Of 173 cases today, Tarn Taran reported the highest number of farm fire incidents with 42 cases of stubble burning. Patiala and Amritsar reported 36 cases each.
Border district Amritsar has recorded the highest number of cases of stubble burning with a count of 375, so far, this year. Amritsar is followed by another border district, Tarn Taran, with 226 cases of stubble burning. Patiala is in third spot in the state with 132 farm fire incidents.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data reveals that there is no substantial decline in farm fire cases this year, when compared to the corresponding period of previous years. Punjab had reported 1,388 cases in 2023 and 1,238 cases in 2022 during the same period.
It’s worth noting that farm fire incidents, in Punjab, have been steadily decreasing over the past few years, dropping from 71,304 in 2021 to 49,922 in 2022, and a further reduction in 2023. Last year, Punjab had reported 33, 000 cases during the kharif season.
Meanwhile, PPCB officials said that farm fire cases would witness further rise in the coming days as paddy harvest in hot spot districts — Sangrur, Barnala, Moga, Bathinda — would pick up pace.
“This is not a good sign. The number of farm fire incidents are on the rise in the state, and we are worried. As panchayat elections are over, government officials, especially district administration officials, who were busy in conducting panchayat polls, will now be able to focus on curbing the increasing number of farm fire cases in the state,” said a senior PPCB official.