Punjab: 219 incidents of farm fires in one day, the biggest increase this season

Punjab: Just two days before Diwali, the state on Tuesday witnessed the biggest spike of this season with 219 stubble burning incidents. The first increase in farm fires was seen in the second week of October when the state witnessed 177 stubble burning incidents on October 12, followed by 173 on October 15 and 163 on October 13. A pollution control board expert said the numbers are likely to rise in the coming days as the time period for wheat sowing – November 1 to November 15 – is approaching. Farmers may set stubble on fire to clear fields for wheat sowing. Ferozepur recorded 45 stubble burning incidents, while Sangrur reported 38, Patiala 22, Kapurthala 16, Mansa 14, Gurdaspur 13, Tarn Taran 11 and Bathinda 10. On Monday, 142 cases of stubble burning were reported, 138 on Sunday and 108 on Saturday. In the last 20 days, 2,095 cases – 88 per cent of all incidents – have been reported. However, there has been a 44 per cent decrease in stubble burning incidents compared to the same period last year. Last year, 5,254 cases were reported during the same period. Amritsar tops the state with a total of 496 stubble burning cases, followed by Tarn Taran (400) and Patiala (288). Sangrur and Ferozepur have reported 239 and 268 cases respectively so far. Environmental compensation of Rs 18.27 lakh has been imposed in 678 cases till October 27 and Rs 15.57 lakh has been recovered. Red entries have been made in 669 cases, while 1,449 cases have been registered under Section 39 of the Air Act and Section 223 of the BNS. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of major cities is continuously getting worse. Amritsar’s AQI was 187, while Mandi Gobindgarh’s AQI was 166. Patiala 142, Jalandhar 137, Ludhiana 125, Rupnagar 147, Khanna 146. People of Bathinda breathed a sigh of relief with 107 AQI.