219 farm fires in one day, biggest spike of season
Merely two days before Diwali, the state witnessed the season’s biggest spike in farm fire cases with 219 stubble-burning incidents on Tuesday.
Total case count 2,356
The total farm fire count has reached 2,356, with 88% (2,095 cases) being reported in the past 20 days
The uptick in farm fires was first witnessed 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.
The pollution control board expert said the number was likely to rise in the coming days as the window period — November 1 to November 15 — for wheat sowing is approaching. Farmers in order to clear the field for wheat may set the residue on fire.
While 45 incidents of farm fires were reported in Ferozepur, 38 were registered in Sangrur, followed by 22 in Patiala, 16 in Kapurthala, 14 in Mansa, 13 in Gurdaspur, 11 in Tarn Taran and 10 in Bathinda.
As many as 142 residue-burning cases were reported on Monday, 138 on Sunday and 108 on Saturday. The total farm fire count has reached 2,356, with 2,095 cases — 88 per cent of all the incidents — being reported in the past 20 days.
However, there has been a dip of 44 per cent in the number of farm fires during the corresponding period last year. As many as 5,254 cases were reported during the corresponding period last year.
Amritsar continues to top 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.
Till October 27, environment compensation of Rs 18.27 lakh was imposed in 678 cases and Rs 15.57 lakh was recovered. Red entries have been made in 669 cases, while 1,449 cases under Section 39 of the Air Act and Section 223 of the BNS have been registered.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of major cities continue to deteriorate. The AQI of Amritsar was 187, while the AQI of Mandi Gobindgarh was 166. Patiala 142, Jalandhar 137, Ludhiana 125, Rupnagar 147, Khanna 146. The residents of Bathinda breathed easy with an AQI of 107.
