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While instances of stubble burning successful Punjab successful October were astatine a five-year low, the country that was really acceptable afire successful 3 large districts - Amritsar, Taran Taran and Ferozpur - was apt 20% little than past year, according to information sourced by The Hindu from a satellite-imagery steadfast and a elder authoritative formerly with the Punjab Pollution Control Board. However, the archetypal fortnight of November is historically erstwhile workplace fires successful Punjab highest and determination precise whitethorn good beryllium a surge successful burnt area.
The authorities regularly shares regular information connected the fire-count but does not disclose burnt area. The nexus betwixt occurrence counts and burnt country is important for an close representation connected efforts to curb workplace fires, that successful erstwhile years, person contributed arsenic overmuch arsenic 35% of the regular wintertime contamination load successful Delhi, but tin besides diminution to azygous digits depending connected upwind direction.
Last November, The Hindu reported - triggering the Supreme Court to bid accrued scrutiny - that the Punjab government’s claims of a simplification successful workplace fires, by publicising lone occurrence counts caught connected satellite, did not seizure reality. The country really burnt successful Punjab had accrued successful 2023 (19.1 lakh hectares) compared to 2022 (15.4 lakh hectares). This was apt owed to farmers burning stubble aft satellite-passes to debar detection. In 2024, the burnt country figures were astir the aforesaid arsenic 2023, astatine 19.4 lakh hectares, arsenic The Hindu reported past month.
This year, outer imagery of workplace fires implicit Punjab lone began emerging astir October 10 - astir a month-long hold - compared to erstwhile years. This was owed to dense rainfall and flooding during astir of September, contributing to a delayed harvest.
Between October 13 and October 28, the 3 districts were liable for 515 occurrence events detected by satellite, astir 55% of the 933 specified events successful the state.
In that period, 2.46 lakh hectares were burnt successful these districts, according to an investigation shared with The Hindu by Noida-based Suhora Technologies, a space-analytics institution with expertise successful utilizing outer imagery for a assortment of applications. “Geographically, the occurrence incidents began successful a localised pattern, initially concentrating successful tehsils similar Ajnala (Amritsar) and Khadur Sahib (Tarn Taran), earlier rapidly expanding and intensifying. The main areas of absorption passim the monitoring play included Majitha, Baba Bakala, Amritsar-II, Khadur Sahib, Tarn Taran, and Ajnala,” they said successful their report. They utilized imagery from the Sentinel-2 Multi Spectral Instrument (MSI) for their images. Located connected the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite, the MSI is utilized to place and representation burnt areas by analysing however antithetic wavelengths of airy are reflected from a fire-affected landscape.
Krunesh Garg, who had served arsenic the Member Secretary, Punjab Pollution Control Board, until September 2025 and has for years monitored and implemented measures to code stubble burning, told The Hindu that information with him showed ”the 3 districts astatine the aforesaid clip past twelvemonth reported 3.15 lakh hectares of burnt area”. “If it is so 2.46 lakh hectares, that is simply a simplification and is surely a affirmative sign…it shows that measures implemented successful the past 5 years person started to amusement results,” helium added. He said that Amritsar and Taran Taran loop (north-east Punjab) typically saw fires commencement aboriginal and reason by October-end. “Irrespective of the floods, I judge that immoderate burning has to person happened successful those regions has already concluded,” helium noted.
The Hindu couldn’t found what proportionality of cultivated country successful the 3 districts of Amritsar, Taran Taran and Firozpur person been harvested. In the week from October 28 to November 4, occurrence counts person sharply spiked from 993 to 2,839 - astir 3 times higher than the cumulative October figures. Still, this is astir fractional of the occurrence number logged astatine aforesaid clip past twelvemonth and astir a 5th of figures from 2023. The spike was attributed to the model for sowing wheat - the rabbi harvest - accelerated closing and disposable till November 15.
However whether this has meant a notable simplification successful burnt country remains to beryllium seen. An authoritative successful the Central Pollution Control Board told The Hindu, portion declining to beryllium identified, that “early reports” suggested a simplification successful burnt country compared to past year.
Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said astatine a briefing earlier this week that a “comprehensive report” would beryllium disposable aboriginal this period but that respective teams from the Centre were intimately coordinating with the Punjab authorities to cheque stubble burning. The full country nether paddy cultivation this twelvemonth was 32 lakh hectares, according to the Punjab Agriculture Department, of which astir a 3rd had been harvested.
