Farm fires in Palwal down 74%, air quality improves

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Palwal, November 7

The incidence of farm fires or stubble burning has come down by 74.3 per cent in Palwal district this season, improving the AQI level.

A total of 20 incidents of stubble burning have surfaced till November 6 in the district against 78 detected last year on the corresponding date, officials say. Though 43 complaints surfaced on the website of the Haryana Space Application Centre, Hisar (HARSAC), 23 were found to be false when teams visited the identified spots and couldn’t find anything to verify that stubble had been burnt, claim sources in the Agriculture Department. A total penalty amounting to Rs 50,000 has been imposed (at the rate of Rs 2,500 per acre) on the offenders, it is revealed. In the corresponding period (till November 6) last year, 78 out of the total 115 complaints were found to be correct, which attracted fine to the tune of Rs 1.95 lakh, said an official.

A sharp decline in farm fires this year has come as a major relief. The PM- 2.5 level in the city, which was recorded at 114 on November 6, is much lower than the AQI of 294 and 244 recorded the same day in 2021 and 2020, respectively, according to ‘Sameer’, the official app of the Central Pollution Control Board.

Dr Pawan Kumar Sharma, Deputy Director, Agriculture, says better supervision and implementation of a coordinated strategy involving elected representatives at village and block level has led to a sharp decline in the incidence of farm fires, resulting in improved AQI levels this time. He said more than 53 per cent of farm fire incidents reported by HARSAC have been found to be false.

20 stubble-burning incidents

• n Twenty incidents of stubble burning have surfaced till November 6 in the district against 78 detected last year on the corresponding date
• n Though 43 complaints surfaced on the website of the Haryana Space Application Centre, Hisar, 23 were found to be false