The stubble burning cases are rising in Punjab every day as the paddy harvesting season nears the peak. The continued burning of paddy straw in Haryana and Punjab contributed to 10 per cent of the total PM 2.5 pollution load in Delhi-NCR on October 19, 2020. Officials from Punjab and Haryana said stubble burning has already reached levels more than the previous two years.
As much as 7,105 stubble burning cases have been reported in various parts of Punjab till October 19, 2020. The latest satellite images from Sentinel suggest that the farmers in Punjab are still continuing stubble burning with impunity. Satellite images from October 19, 2020, show large farmlands being burnt mainly in Punjab.
Ludhiana continues to burn farmlands
The smoke plumes clearly visible on satellite imagery indicate that although Amritsar seems to have controlled the issue to a large extent, newer areas are succumbing to the menace.
(Photo: India Today)
The farmers in areas to the North East of Ludhiana continue to adopt the cheap means of stubble disposal in the process damaging the environment in the worst possible way. Environmentalists in India agree that the blatant and incorrigible menace of stubble burning is bad for both the environment and bio-fertility.
The farmers seem oblivious to the dangers this causes to the environment and the massive plumes of pollution reach Delhi endangering traffic all along the Punjab highways.
(Photo: India Today)
The satellite images from October 14, 2020 show areas between Hawas, Rawat and Khasi Khurd are burning their farmlands for easy disposal of stubble from previous season.
On the same day, many farms are seen burning stubble in South of the city near Dhandra village. The smoke plumes are seen rising towards the South East which eventually reaches Delhi and Western UP if not controlled in time.
(Photo: India Today)
As reported earlier, during this season the wind speeds are very slow and the smoke lingers for a long time along with the earth’s surface.
Tarn Taran Punjab’s stubble burning hotspot
Punjab’s border districts are not only a safe haven for anti-social elements including gangsters and smugglers but also for the farmers who burn the farm residue without any fear.
The areas west of Tarn Taran Sahib are resorting to stubble burning in the most callous way. The satellite images from October 19, 2020, indicate many areas burning in Bhikiwind and Rajoke.
(Photo: India Today)
An analysis of the stubble burning data reveals that most of the cases have been reported from the border districts. For instance, out of a total 698 paddy stubble burning cases reported on October 19, 176 cases were reported in Tarn Taran alone followed by another border district of Ferozepur which stands second with 126 cases.
However, during the past month, Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts reported maximum cases. Out of a total 7,105 stubble burning instances, 1,716 cases were reported in Tarn Taran followed by 1,530 cases in Amritsar.
Firozpur, Patiala and Gurdaspur are other districts where stubble burning continues unabated. As many as 623 stubble burning cases were reported in Ferozepur followed by 618 in Patiala and 504 in Gurdaspur.
(Photo: India Today)
Interestingly, one of the border districts Pathankot seems to be an exception where only one case has been reported on Monday.
When contacted, Deputy commissioner Tarn Taran, Balwinder Singh said that so far 920 accused farmers have been fined Rs 4.30 lakh and cases have been registered against the defaulters.
“I have appealed to all the farmers not to burn the farm residue. If they do not stop, I will have to take legal action against them. We have deployed 500 Nodal officers in various parts of the district who will be submitting a report to the revenue department. Red entries will be marked against the owners of the lands found violating the norms,” Singh said.
The punishment for stubble burning appears to be too less to deter the farmers. Neither is the monetary incentive to not burn their fields is working.