Punjab Sees Season’s Highest Spike in Stubble Burning, 122 Cases Reported in a Day
Punjab reports 122 stubble-burning cases as farm fires spread across key districts.
Punjab witnessed its highest single-day surge in stubble burning this season with 122 incidents reported on October 26, pushing the total to 743 cases, according to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). This marks the first time in 2025 that farm fires reached triple digits in a day, with Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts accounting for the majority. The spike coincides with 58 per cent of the state’s 31.7 lakh hectares of paddy area already harvested, leaving significant crop residue that farmers are increasingly setting ablaze to clear fields quickly for wheat sowing.
The south Malwa region reported nearly 70 of the day’s incidents, while Tarn Taran led cumulatively with 224 cases, followed by Amritsar at 154 and Ferozepur at 80. Agriculture officials warn that stubble burning is likely to intensify in the coming days as harvesting accelerates after November 2, compressing the window for land preparation before the ideal wheat sowing deadline of November 15. Districts with high-yield paddy varieties—such as Muktsar, Bathinda, and Sangrur—have harvested less than 50 percent so far, signalling potential for a sharper rise in violations.
Authorities have responded firmly, registering 266 FIRs under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for defying anti-burning orders, with Tarn Taran alone seeing 73 cases. Environmental fines totalling Rs 16.80 lakh have been imposed in 329 instances, alongside 296 ‘red entries’ in land records that restrict farmers from obtaining loans or selling property. Despite these measures, enforcement challenges persist amid farmers’ time constraints and limited access to affordable residue management alternatives.
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The incidents carry broader environmental implications, with stubble burning contributing 3.71 per cent to Delhi’s PM 2.5 levels on Sunday—the season’s peak thus far—and potentially rising to 35 per cent during November’s burning peak. While Punjab recorded a 70 percent drop in farm fires from 36,663 in 2023 to 10,909 in 2024, the current uptick underscores the ongoing struggle to balance agricultural timelines with air quality mandates, as the state grapples with both enforcement and sustainable farming incentives.
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