Stubble burning: Punjab records over 1000 farm fires in a single day; highest in the season

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Also Read: AQI LIVE Updates: ‘Situation in Delhi better as compared to previous year’ says Gopal Rai Out of all the districts, Sangrur topped the list with 181 active stubble-burning cases. It was followed by 155 in Ferozepur, 133 in Tarn Taran, 83 in Patiala, 66 in Mansa, 62 in Fatehgarh Sahib, and 57 each in Ludhiana and Amritsar, reported PTI referring to data from Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC). Also Read: Delhi air pollution: Govt explains why 13 hotspots saw AQI over 300, to depute special teams Despite the rising number of farm fire cases in the state this season, a look at previous year's data will reflect on the reduction in stubble burning in Punjab.

A year ago, the state had recorded a total of 1898 farm fires on the same day. Whereas the number was less for stubble burning on October 29, 2021. On that day, 1353 cases of farm fires were reported in Punjab.

From September 15 to October 29, the state witnessed a total of 5254 farm fire incidents as against 12,112 during the same period last year. The data shows a 57 per cent decline in the number of farm fire incidents. The state had reported a total of 8,856 farm fires during the same period in 2021.

Also Read: Govt invokes GRAP-II as air quality worsens in Delhi: Here's what will change for Delhiites Out of the total 5,254 farm fires reported so far, Amritsar constituted the bulk of crop residue burning cases at 1,060, followed by 646 in Tarn Taran, 590 in Patiala, 540 in Sangrur and 505 in Ferozepur, as per the data. Farmers have begun harvesting their paddy crops in Punjab. The state has about 31 lakh hectares of paddy area and it produces around 180-200 lakh tonnes of paddy straw every year.