Punjab farm fires nosedive to 599, lowest since October 25
Punjab on Sunday registered 599 cases of farm fires, lowest since October 25and over four times less than what was reported the previous day
Punjab on Sunday registered 599 cases of farm fires, lowest since October 25and over four times less than what was reported the previous day. On Saturday, the state had reported 2,817 active farm fire events while the number was 181 on October 25.
The thick layer of smog which had enveloped Punjab was also dispersed by strong winds. “As the wind speed picked up pace, farmers were reluctant to set stubble ablaze as it may lead to accidental fires in nearby fields. Thus, the number of farm fires saw a decline,” said an agriculture department official.
The air quality index (AQI), however, remained in ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ category at three key stations on the weekend.
Data from Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) on Sunday showed only two districts with more than 100 fires and highest 130 were from Mansa.
Sangrur, which had been topping the fire event chart since October 28, witnessed only 108 cases on Sunday. It was followed by Patiala (54), Muktsar (43), Barnala (41) and Fazilka (40).
As per the PRSC data, Bathinda recorded 36 fire events, but its AQI remained in ‘very poor’ category on the second consecutive day. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data calculated Bathinda’s average AQI at 306, which was highest in Punjab. After sunshine in mornings, the district witnessed hazy conditions for most part of the weekend.
The air quality of Amritsar and Ludhiana was also ‘poor’ on a scale of 245 and 241, respectively.
However, continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) in Jalandhar, Khanna, Mandi Gobindgarh, Patiala and Rupnagar showed ‘moderate’ condition.
Out of 23 districts, Punjab is equipped to audit AQI at only eight places in six districts.
Season’s tally reaches 29,999
With 599 cases of stubble burning, this year’s kharif season tally in Punjab reached 29,999. On the same day (November 6) in 2020, 3,858 active fire events were captured by satellites while the number was 3,942 in 2021.
The total number of fire events till November 6 was 32,734 last year, which was significantly less than 52,980 cases recorded till November 6, 2020.