Punjab Sees Season’s Highest Single-Day Spike In Farm Fires, 147 Cases Reported

Last Updated:October 28, 2025, 14:46 IST

The sharp increase comes despite repeated appeals by the state government urging farmers to stop burning crop residue.

Between October 20 and October 28, the number of farm fires in Punjab rose by 537, climbing from 353 to 890. (Credits: ANI)

Punjab on Monday recorded the season’s highest single-day spike of 147 farm fires, taking the total number of stubble-burning incidents since September 15 to 890, according to data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

The sharp increase comes despite repeated appeals by the state government urging farmers to stop burning crop residue. Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts accounted for the majority of the cases, indicating continued non-compliance in key paddy-growing regions.

Between October 20 and October 28, the number of farm fires in Punjab rose by 537, climbing from 353 to 890.

According to PPCB data, Tarn Taran reported the highest number of incidents at 249, followed by Amritsar (169), Ferozepur (87), Sangrur (79), Patiala (46), Gurdaspur (41), Bathinda (38) and Kapurthala (35).

Smaller numbers were reported from other districts — Ludhiana (9), Malerkotla (4), Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar (3 each) — while Pathankot and Rupnagar recorded no farm fires so far this season.

Officials attribute the spike to farmers trying to quickly clear fields for Rabi crop sowing, particularly wheat, following the harvest of paddy in October. Burning crop residue remains a fast but environmentally damaging method to prepare fields, despite available machinery and subsidies for eco-friendly alternatives.

Authorities warned that continued stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana often contributes to air pollution spikes in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) during late October and November.

According to PPCB figures, 31.72 lakh hectares of land in Punjab is under paddy cultivation this year, of which 59.82 per cent had been harvested as of October 26.

So far, fines worth ₹19.80 lakh have been imposed as environmental compensation in 386 cases, with ₹13.40 lakh already recovered. Additionally, 302 FIRs have been registered under Section 223 (disobedience of order promulgated by public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The authorities have also made 337 red entries in the land records of violators — a punitive measure that prevents farmers from securing loans or selling their farmland.

Despite the recent surge, the overall number of farm fires this year remains significantly lower than in previous years. Punjab recorded 10,909 cases in 2024, compared to 36,663 in 2023 — a 70% drop. The state had reported 49,922 farm fires in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, and 50,590 in 2018, with Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, and Amritsar consistently ranking among the worst-affected districts.

Abhro Banerjee

Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, including elections and bu...Read More

Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, including elections and bu...

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