Amritsar records major drop in farm fires; AQI stays within safe limits

There has been a drastic fall in the number of stubble burning cases in Amritsar district between September 15 and November 27, compared to the same period over the past two years. As a result, the thick cover of smog that usually enveloped the city during mornings and evenings was absent this year. The Air Quality Index (AQI) remained within permissible limits, and roads that earlier witnessed reduced visibility and accidents due to smog did not record such incidents this season.

A total of 1,573 stubble-burning cases were detected via satellite in the district during this period in 2023. The number dropped to 734 cases in 2024 and further declined to 315 cases this year.

According to officials, several coordinated efforts by the district administration, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the Agriculture Department, and NGOs contributed to this significant decline. They continued to strengthen in-situ and ex-situ paddy straw management in 2025, building upon initiatives from 2024 and earlier years.

Sukhmani Khehra, SDO, PPCB, said multiple factors played a role in the reduction. The district received a maximum 140 baler machines from Malwa along with 72 of its own, bringing the total to 212 machines available. Two mills equipped with boilers and air pollution control devices used straw bales as fuel, and officials expect two more mills to be ready by the next season.

The district also procured machines for pelletization of stubble, a process in which straw is shredded, compressed, and converted into pellets that can be used as industrial fuel.

To support farmers, the district administration developed Google sheets that were made available at help desks in each mandi, with a central control room at the District Administrative Complex. These sheets recorded details of farmers, their land, and contact information. Ten centres — one in each block of the district — were set up under nodal officers, with staff from the administration, PPCB, the Agriculture Department, and four college students associated with NGO Clean Air. They regularly contacted farmers to help arrange stubble disposal.

Increased awareness among farmers about the environmental hazards of stubble burning and the damage it causes to soil health and organic matter also contributed to the decline in cases this year.