Punjab reported about 70% fewer farm fires in 2024 than in 2023, yet the total area scorched by these fires expanded year-on-year, leading to questions over the accuracy of the data.
Satellite aggregation data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) and the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) showed that in 2024, there were 10,909 incidents of farm fires in Punjab against 36,663 in 2023, a 70% decline. However, the area under “residue burning for paddy” (burnt area) increased to 19.17 lakh hectares in 2024 from 19.14 lakh hectares in 2023.
The report titled “Comparison of district-wise area classified under residue burning (paddy) for year 2023 and 2024” mentions the burnt area for the period from September 15 to November 30.
Paddy was sown in over 30.02 lakh hectares in 2023, and in 31 lakh hectares in 2024.
Burnt area data reveal the actual scale of the farm fire menace, former officials and experts said, and the 2024 data suggest farm fires could have been under-reported.
To avoid detection, sources said, farmers may have burnt stubble after satellites passed over the region. While farm fires are recorded daily, the burnt area is measured by satellites on a weekly basis.
The least burnt area was in Pathankot district, followed by Rupnagar district; the largest burnt area was in Patiala district, followed by Sangrur district, the report said.
“The farm fire incidents in Punjab and, for that matter, other States as well, are recorded by satellites passing over the region with thermal imaging, using temperature differences at particular timings in the morning and afternoon. Last year, it appears farmers may have burned paddy stubble during the window in which they could evade the satellite. If the farm fire incidents had actually gone down, then the burnt area should have also been less,” a former senior official of the PPCB said, requesting anonymity.
Gurvinder Singh, former Director, Punjab Agriculture Department, echoed similar concerns.
“The increase in paddy residue’s ‘burnt area’ definitely poses a question about the authenticity of figures on farm fire incidents in 2024. There could be a number of reasons behind this, as we know the data by the PRSC is collected by satellites, which apparently can be circumvented. We cannot deny the fact that many people are aware of the timing of the satellite movement, and could have ‘escaped’ it last year. The technology needs to be updated so that there’s no ambiguity in the data,” Mr. Singh said.
Jaskirat Singh, activist on environmental issues in Punjab, said the ground reality did not match. “While the governments, be it the Centre or State, claim that the sharp decline in farm fire incidents has been achieved with a range of measures over recent years, the ground reality is different. Data on the rise in ‘burnt area’ has revealed the truth,” he said.
A senior officer of PPCB, requesting anonymity, told The Hindu that the rise in burnt area could be a technical issue.
“We have deliberated on the rise in burnt area. There appears to be a technical issue. The remote sensing data at times records more than one fire incident from the same place. For example, in Patiala, the PRSC showed three separate cases of farm fires on a two-acre farm, but when our officials visited, it turned out to be only one incident, as there was only one burnt patch.” the officer said.
