Commission for Air Quality Management holds review meetings to address stubble burning

Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas has issued statutory directions for the implementation of the State Specific Action Plan. This comes in light of increased incidents of stubble burning in Punjab this year.

CAQM stated that as per the satellite remote sensing data, up to October 24, 2022, only about 39 per cent of sown area in Punjab had been harvested and thus the rising number of fire events is a matter of concern. As per the Standard Protocol developed by ISRO for CAQM, for the period September 15, 2022, to October 26 2022, total paddy residue burning events reported in Punjab are 7,036 compared to 6,463 for the same period during the last year. CAQM further stated that about 70 per cent of farm fires during the current paddy harvesting season were reported only from six districts namely Amritsar, Firozpur, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Patiala and Tarn Taran.

These Districts account for 4,899 cases against a total of 7,036 incidents in Punjab. These traditional six hotspot districts also accounted for about 65 per cent of the to-tal burning incidents during the last year for the same period. Out of a total of 7,036 reported cases, 4,315 stubble-burning incidences were reported during the last six days alone i.e., about 61 per cent.