Stubble burning: At 692, cases in Malwa lower than Majha belt

Bathinda, October 15

Of the total 1,946, only 692 stubble burning cases have been reported from 15 Malwa districts of the state so far this year. As per the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data, Patiala has recorded the highest 192 farm fire cases, followed by Ludhiana (121), Fatehgarh Sahib (92), Ferozepur (61), Faridkot (57), Moga (33), Sangrur (31), SAS Nagar (27), Fazilka (24), Muktsar (14), Barnala (11), Malerkotla (7), SBS Nagar (6), Bathinda (5) and Mansa (1).

On October 15, 660 farm fire incidents were reported in the state with Tarn Taran topping with 158 incidents followed by Amritsar with 109. PPCB officials said the harvest started early in the Majha region so a significant number of farm fire cases have been reported from there. Amritsar has recorded the highest 532 farm fire cases, followed by Tarn Taran (472) and Gurdaspur (104). Experts claim farm fires were so far as less as compared to last year because of the delay in harvesting in the southern Malwa region. As Bathinda and Sangrur are two districts where maximum incidents are reported in the state, only 31 farm fire cases have been reported in Sangrur while five cases have been reported in Bathinda to date. The incidents of stubble burning have been captured by the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite through satellite images by the PPCB. These are based on the longitude and latitude measurements.

The PPCB takes the help of satellite imaging for the identification of sites where the stubble is set on fire. After getting the images of stubble burning through the remote sensing technique, a team is sent to the spot to ascertain the area of land on which the stubble has been set afire. — TNS