[caption id="attachment_8951" align="aligncenter" width="742"]
Even as farm fires continue to rise, the burnt area under paddy this year is around 4.35 lakh hectare (till October 27) against 5.70 lakh hectare last year — a decline of 1.35 lakh hectare (25.22%). Picture: Collected [/caption]
Punjab Pollution Control Board member secretary Karunesh Garg said it was important to monitor burnt area because in majority cases the number of fires could be more but the area might be less or vice-versa. “More area burnt will mean more smoke, so it’s important to keep tabs on area set on fire rather than just recording the number of fire incidents,” he said.
Stubble burning started in September-end and till October 19 farmers had burnt 2.11 lakh hectares (5.21 lakh acres), including 1.02 lakh hectares (2.52 lakh acres) from October 12-19. To date, environment compensation of Rs 25.17 lakh has been imposed on such farmers.
“There is a marked improvement due to various factors, including more machinery in the fields and awareness drives,” Garg said, adding: “However, our main focus is to bring down the area under farm fires and keep a check on such activities. It is crucial time.”
[caption id="attachment_8952" align="aligncenter" width="574"]
In Punjab, total 30.66 lakh hectare is under rice cultivation this year — 26.05 lakh hectare under paddy (non-basmati) and 4.61 lakh hectare under basmati.[/caption]
Punjab on Sunday reported 2,895 farm fires, highest this season, which is almost half of that until the corresponding date last year. Over 1,000 cases are being reported daily for the past few days and officials expect the numbers to go up around Diwali, affecting the air quality.
Meanwhile, agriculture department officials confirm that the number of farm fires will spike by over 1,500-2,000 per day in the next few days as the window between sowing wheat and getting rid of stubble narrows. “Rain spell last week delayed farm fires and now a spike is expected,” they said. Find more.
Source: Online/KSU
Comment Now