On Thursday, the number of stubble-burning instances in Punjab reached 23,620. Experts informed India Today TV that fewer cases are anticipated after Diwali, which might provide some relief from the bordering states’ deteriorating air quality.
34,868 cases were registered by the state between September 15 and November 9 of last year. In 2021, there were 47,409 farm fire cases over the same time period.
The state still reports stubble burning crimes in defiance of Supreme Court orders. On Thursday, there were 639 agricultural fire incidents reported. On the same day in 2022 and 2021, the State Pollution Control Board reported 1,778 and 5,079 instances, respectively.
The current kharif agricultural season, according to environmentalists, is unusual in comparison to past seasons. This year’s decreasing number of stubble-burning incidents might be partly attributed to the paddy crop’s late monsoon season withdrawal and subsequent replanting at various intervals, which flooded the paddy belt.
‘Delayed harvesting will extend the duration of paddy stubble burning,’ Dr. Ravinddra Khaiwal, a community medicine professor at PGIMER in Chandigarh, stated.
Because the crop is taking longer to harvest, the Punjab government may potentially decide to extend the deadline for purchasing paddy by 15 days. Although the paddy procurement process typically lasts until the end of November, in Punjab this year, an estimated one-fourth of the paddy crop has not yet been harvested.
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