No stubble burning detected in 45% cases reported via satellite imagery

The huge mismatch between the farm fire numbers based on remote-sensing imagery and those observed upon physical verification of these sites has flummoxed teams of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

As on November 10, the total number of farm fire incidents reported in Punjab by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre is 6,611, but no crop burning was observed at 2,983 sites. This means no stubble burning was observed in 45 per cent of the cases reported through satellite imagery.

Air quality ‘poor’ in most parts of state

An official of the Commission for Air Quality Management said the air quality in most parts of the state remained “poor” because low temperature ensured that pollutants remained suspended in the air. “The target is to completely eliminate the practice of stubble burning, and farmers will have to shun it,” he said.

The issue will come up for discussion at a review meeting of the CAQM on Wednesday. Commission Chairman Rajesh Verma would discuss the issue with senior officials of the state government and the deputy commissioners of Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Patiala, Sangrur and Tarn Taran districts where the maximum number of farm fires had been reported, confirmed Gurnam Singh, Head, Paddy Stubble Management Cell of the CAQM.

The CAQM team is monitoring farm fires in 16 districts of Punjab and 10 districts of Haryana. Besides these districts, the teams are also monitoring incidents in Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Kapurthala, with the help of deputy commissioners, officials of Agriculture Department and the pollution control board. These teams are also checking the progress made in in-situ and ex-situ stubble management in these districts.

CAQM officials told The Tribune that the main reason for the mismatch in figures was that the satellite catches images through thermal sensing. “As a result, in many cases, places where solar power panels have been installed, are also reported as fire incidents as are incidents of setting garbage on fire. But we are surprised that in Haryana, the gap in actual incidents and farm fires is much less,” said an officer.

Instructions have already been issued to all deputy commissioners of Punjab to personally verify each incident where no crop burning was found. These sites will be treated as “no crop burning found” sites only if the reports by DCs are accompanied by photographs and the GPS coordinates of the site.