Stubble burning in Punjab: The huge difference in reduction of farm fires and burnt area

This year 30.28 lakh hectares were under rice cultivation of which stubble burning was recorded on 15.43 lakh hectares which comes to 50.94% of rice area. Last year, the state burnt residue on 15.64 lakh hectares of 29.69 lakh hectares rice area which comes to 52.69% of the total rice area. This year nearly 21,720 hectares (1.4%) less area was burnt compared to last year.

How many fire incidents took place in Punjab this year?

According to Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), Ludhiana, which comes under PPCB and collects data on farm fires and burnt acre through satellite, the state has recorded around 30% less farm fires with 49,922 stubble burning incidents from September 15 to November 30 against 71,304 farm fires last year in the same period.

What were trends in the previous years?

In 2017, 50,145 fire incidents were recorded and paddy residue was burnt on 19.78 lakh hectares. In 2018, 51,764 fire incidents were recorded and residue was built on 17.81 lakh hectares. In 2019, 52,991 fire incidents were recorded and the burnt area was 18.95 lakh hectares. In 2020, nearly 76,590 farm fires were witnessed but the burnt area was 17.96 lakh hectares, and in 2021, 71,304 fire incidents were recorded while the burnt area was just 15.64 lakh hectares. Between 2017 and 2022, 2017 saw the lowest fire incidents but the highest burnt area. In 2020, when stubble incidents were the highest in the past six years, the burnt area was almost 2 lakh hectares less than in 2017.

Similarly, 2021 saw the second highest farm fires in six years and one of the lowest in terms of burnt area.

Why is there a huge difference between farm fires and burnt area and how are these recorded?

According to PPCB officials, different satellites record fire incidents and burnt area with the help of ‘Optical and Thermal’ sensors, respectively. Officials said that stubble burning incidents are recorded in real-time by satellite on a daily basis. The satellite passes several times during the day and records the fires. “But when there are cloudy days during the peak stubble burning period then fire detection does not take place because of which the actual number of fire counts is not calculated,” said a senior PPCB official, adding that it also happens that sometimes when a large number of fires are taking place then satellite might not be passing from that area and in that case also some fires may not be recorded. “This time to keep the fire incidents at the lower side, farmers in some districts were burning their fields during the evening when satellite does not pass from this side,” PPCB sources said. However, “discolouration of fields due to fire or fire marks” can be recorded through optical censors later on when the weather is clear and if the fields are unploughed after the stubble burning, sources said, adding that this is the main reason that fire incidents are lower but the area is not as low. Sources added that this year, farmers were irrigating their fields minutes after burning stubble to mitigate the fire scars. “In our estimate, both fire incidents and burnt areas are much higher than the recorded one but let the government be happy,” a PPCB source said.