Punjab shattered the record for stubble burning cases over the past two years on Wednesday. In a single day (1 November 2023), a staggering 1,921 cases of stubble burning were reported from across the state. The Sangrur district, which happens to be Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s constituency, topped the list with a total of 345 cases, the highest in the state.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board’s website, which typically displays fire incidents in the state, went offline a month back and has remained so. This abrupt outage led to widespread speculation and conspiracy theories. Interestingly, the available data until the end of October 2023 seemed to understate stubble-burning incidents in Punjab, shifting the blame towards Haryana.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a scientist working on air pollution at the Punjab Pollution Control Board shared an alarming insight. He emphasised on the paradox of the government’s public relations efforts, which seemed to backfire when international entities pointed out the truth. The entire northern region was grappling with terrible air quality, and the Punjab government had diligently tried to downplay stubble burning. However, NASA’s live satellite data painted a contrasting picture. Punjab, known as the “Ann-Daata” or the bread-basket of India, continued to choke the entire region with relentless stubble burning.
On 1 November, several cities across Punjab recorded poor Air Quality Index (AQI) readings. Amritsar stood at 227, Ludhiana at 245, Mandi Gobindgarh at 259, and Bathinda at 277. The total count of stubble-burning cases in the state has now surged to 9,594. On Tuesday, 1,389 cases were reported, with the highest number, 221 cases, originating from Sangrur. Wednesday brought a fresh surge, with Tarn Taran reporting 226 cases, Firozpur 200, Amritsar 86, Bathinda and Faridkot 97 each, Fatehgarh Sahib 82, Kapurthala 96, Ludhiana 75, Patiala district 127, and Jalandhar 66 cases.
Data indicates that in 2021, there were 1,796 reported cases on a Wednesday, while 2022 saw 1,842 cases. However, the good news is that this year’s stubble burning is 46% less compared to the previous two years. In 2021, by this time, 14,920 cases of stubble burning had been reported, and in 2022, the number stood at 17,846.
Instead of allowing stubble to add to pollution woes, the Punjab government is making efforts to turn it into a boon for farmers. Numerous industries have begun purchasing stubble directly from farmers, using it in agricultural fields. Furthermore, stubble will be procured for animal feed in “gaushalas” (cow shelters) in collaboration with district animal welfare societies, with the district administration lending a hand.
All Deputy Commissioners (DCs) in the 23 districts of the state have been instructed to identify farmers who effectively manage stubble and bring them into the spotlight. Videos and success stories of these farmers will be shared on social media platforms to inspire others in the region.
Incidents of stubble burning after harvesting paddy crops have more than doubled in September this year, with a significant increase reported from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, as reported by a prominent publication.
Between 15 and 30 September, over 350 incidents of stubble burning were reported across the country. This marks a significant increase from the 159 incidents reported during the same period last year, according to the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS) run by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).
Punjab, in particular, witnessed a surge in crop residue burning, reaching 214 cases in 2023, up from 147 in the same period last year. Out of these cases, 81 incidents were recorded on 30 September, and 68 on 29 September. Amritsar, with 174 instances, had the highest number of cases in Punjab.
On Tuesday, 3 October, the Punjab government submitted a state action plan and district-wise action plans for tackling the problem of stubble burning in the current paddy harvesting season. The state now boasts 117,672 crop residue management machines, with an additional 23,000 machines in the pipeline. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has urged the Punjab government to efficiently utilize Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines through the 23,792 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) established for this purpose. An official statement reinforced the commitment to tackling this issue and making farming more sustainable in Punjab.
As the stubble-burning season approached this year, the Union allocated Rs 600 crore to the states to manage paddy straws and initiated a new project on ex-situ supply chain management. Punjab has already received around Rs 105 crore of this fund, with Rs 90 crore allocated for Haryana. This is a significant step towards addressing the stubble-burning problem and supporting the agricultural community.