1,893 farm fires, but air quality improves

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 10

Cloudy sky and smog-like conditions prevailed for almost the entire day in many cities owing to the 1,893 farm fires reported today.

According to data compiled by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the farm fire count in the state this season so far has reached 36,761. Last year, the number of cases for the corresponding date stood at 51,417 cases.

The number of farm fires recorded on November 10, 2021, was 4,008, while that for the corresponding date in 2020 was 3,508.

According to officials, the data is likely to remain low till the cloud cover and smog-like conditions disperse from the Malwa belt.

“Cases of farm fires will go relatively down by next week as the wheat sowing season is already round the corner,” officials said.

After ‘severe’ and ‘poor’ air quality on Wednesday, the AQI improved in the state today following better wind speed.

Ludhiana and Khanna, which had reported an AQI of 408 and 417 (severe), respectively, on Wednesday, recorded an AQI of 205 and 147, respectively, today.

Other cities too recorded a drop in pollution level. Patiala recorded an AQI of 268, Amritsar (160), Jalandhar (131) and Bathinda (118).

For the third day on a trot, most of the state did not get any sunshine, while a few cities witnessed limited sunlight.

Meanwhile, farmers today have announced to launch agitation after receiving information about red entries being made in land records for stubble-burning and have demanded removal of the same.

“The Punjab Government has been pressing farmers to manage stubble without any financial aid. It is not possible. If the state government wants to stop farmers from burning crop residue, it should give special bonus to manage stubble,” said Surjit Singh, district president, BKU Sidhupur.

Farmers alleged that industrial units were caused pollution throughout the year, but the Centre and state government failed to take action against them and shifted the blame on farmers.

“Every year, both governments make stubble-burning a big issue and defame farmers. If the state government fails to remove red entries from our land records, we will call a meeting to launch agitation,” said farmers.

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#Agriculture #Environment #farm fires #Pollution #Punjab Pollution Control Board PPCB