Punjab is set to complete the mark of 10,000 farm fire cases. The state reported 1,251 new cases of stubble burning (the highest number recorded this season so far), taking the total toll to 9,655.
The data was shared by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre.
On November 8, Punjab reported 730 farm fire incidents, which was the highest in a day this season till Monday.
Muktsar district on Monday reported 247 stubble-burning incidents, the most in the state, followed by Moga (149), Ferozepur (130), Bathinda (129), Fazilka (94) and Faridkot (88), the data showed.
On the same day in 2022 and 2023, the state reported 701 and 637 active firm fire cases, respectively, as per the data.
From September 15 to November 18, Punjab witnessed 9,655 stubble-burning incidents, registering around 71 per cent dip in crop residue burnings in comparison to the figures reported in the corresponding period of the previous year.
Punjab saw 48,489 and 33,719 farm fire cases during the same period in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR after the harvesting of paddy in October-November.
As the window for the Rabi crop - wheat - is very short after paddy harvest, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear the crop residue for sowing new crops.
Punjab recorded a total of 36,663 farm fire cases in 2023, registering a 26 per cent drop as compared to the previous year, the data showed.
The fine amount for farmers burning the crop residue in the northern states was increased ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 30,000 this November in a move to tackle pollution.
This revised penalty amount will be in effect for the violators in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and NCR areas of UP and Rajasthan.
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