Punjab, Haryana record 90 per cent fewer farm fire incidents in 2025: Govt in Lok Sabha

The government on Monday told Parliament that Punjab and Haryana together recorded about 90 per cent fewer farm fire incidents during the 2025 paddy harvesting season compared to 2022.

Responding to a question from Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi on the impact of stubble burning, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told the Lok Sabha that farm fires remain an “episodic event” that aggravates pollution in the winter months.

He also said Delhi recorded its lowest January-November average air quality index since 2018, barring the Covid lockdown year of 2020.

Channi had asked whether Delhi’s AQI crossed 450 despite a 20 per cent reduction in farm fires in Punjab this year. He further asked about the steps being taken to enforce directives of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and provide alternative machinery to farmers.

The minister said air pollution in Delhi-NCR is the result of several local and regional factors, including vehicular and industrial emissions, dust from construction, municipal waste burning, landfill fires and meteorological conditions. Stubble burning in Punjab and NCR region is an additional “episodic event”.

According to the written reply, Delhi recorded 200 “good” air quality days (AQI less than 200) in 2025 so far, up from 110 in 2016. The number of “very poor” and “severe” air quality days also came down from 71 in 2024 to 50 this year.

Listing the measures taken to curb stubble burning, the minister said Punjab and Haryana together received over Rs 3,120 crore since 2018-19 for supplying crop residue management machines.

More than 2.6 lakh machines have been distributed to individual farmers and over 33,800 to custom hiring centres. The CAQM has directed both states to ensure rent-free availability of these machines to small and marginal farmers.

The commission has also mandated the use of paddy straw-based biomass pellets or briquettes in brick kilns beyond NCR to reduce open burning, with co-firing targets rising annually from 20 per cent this year to 50 per cent by 2028. Thermal power plants within 300 km of Delhi have been asked to co-fire biomass pellets up to 10 per cent with coal.

A total of 31 flying squads from the Central Pollution Control Board were deployed across hotspot districts in Punjab and Haryana between October 1 and November 30 to monitor enforcement actions.

Senior-level meetings were held through October and November with the environment minister, agriculture minister, state governments and district officials to review preparedness and push for stricter implementation of directives, the reply said.

The minister said the government is assessing utilisation of crop residue machines, reviewing district-level efforts and ensuring adequate supply chains for biomass to thermal power plants and pellet units.