Spike in Stubble Burning Cases in Punjab: 147 Incidents Reported in One Day

Rising Stubble Burning Incidents in Punjab

On Monday, Punjab recorded its highest number of stubble burning incidents in a single day this season, with 147 cases reported. Since September 15, a total of 890 incidents have been documented, according to official data.

Data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) indicates that the districts of Tarn Taran and Amritsar have seen the most significant number of stubble burning cases. The PPCB noted that many farmers are disregarding the state government's appeals to halt these practices.

The number of stubble burning incidents in the state surged from 353 on October 20 to 537 by October 20. Specifically, Tarn Taran reported the highest with 249 incidents, followed by Amritsar with 169, Firozpur with 87, Sangrur with 79, Patiala with 46, Gurdaspur with 41, Bathinda with 38, and Kapurthala with 35.

Notably, no stubble burning incidents have been reported in the districts of Pathankot and Rupnagar. Meanwhile, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur each recorded three cases, Malerkotla had four, and Ludhiana reported nine.

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rising air pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR region. Due to the short window between the harvest of rice and the sowing of the rabi crop (wheat) in October-November, some farmers resort to burning crop residues to clear their fields quickly.

According to PPCB data, the total area under rice cultivation in Punjab this year is 3.172 million hectares, with 59.82% of this area harvested by October 26.

The PPCB has imposed fines totaling ₹1.98 million as environmental compensation in 386 cases, of which ₹1.34 million has already been collected. Additionally, 302 FIRs have been filed against incidents of field burning under Section 223 of the Indian Penal Code (disobedience to the order of a public servant) during this period.