Farm fires flare, Malwa engulfed in smog

Aman Sood

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Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 9

Thick smoggy conditions prevailed in many cities and villages of the Malwa belt due to a spike in farm fire incidents. With over 10,000 cases in the past three days, the total farm fire incidents have crossed 45,000.

State got lion’s share of Central funds to tackle menace

• Such fires have already crossed 45K, raising doubts over the state’s preparedness in preventing the menace
• Despite getting 46% of the total central funds to check farm fires, Punjab had witnessed an increase of 44.5% cases in 2020
• The Centre allocated Rs1,726.67 cr to states, of which Punjab got Rs793.18 cr
• Punjab saw 76,590 incidents of fire in 2020, against 52,991 in 2019

Experts warn that at this rate, farm fire incidents may cross 65,000, easily surpassing 52,991 cases reported in 2019, raising doubts over the state’s preparedness and expenditure on preventing stubble burning.

Thick smog enveloped various parts of the city and villages yesterday and today, prompting the Health Department to issue an advisory, asking elderly people and children to stay indoors. With the air quality in villages and cities of Malwa dipping due to pollutants, residents complained of itching in eyes, soar throat and bodyache.

A thick blanket of smog engulfed the rural areas on Tuesday with several districts reporting poor air quality. Smog was more evident during the morning and evening hours. Air pollution has soared to hazardous levels in certain pockets due to rising stubble burning cases. High particulate matter in the air has further aggravated the situation.

“Almost 60 per cent of the total farm fires have been reported in November, with over 15,000 being witnessed in the past five days alone. This has happened as the time to prepare the fields for the next crop is limited now,” said an Agriculture Department official. “We expect that stubble burning cases will decrease over the next seven to 10 days as the harvesting season nears its end,” said the official.

However, experts said with the recent spike and many pockets in the Malwa belt yet to harvest crop, the farm fire incidents may easily go past 65,000 over the next few days. “This will raise a question mark on our preparedness and ability to deliver results despite spending crores of rupees on awareness drives and machinery,” he said.

“We are monitoring the situation and hope farm fire incidents drop in the next few days,” said member secretary, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Karunesh Garg.

Punjab is experiencing the worst-ever post-paddy season smog. The prevailing conditions are not good for children and elderly people, warn health officials. There was some improvement in the air due to good wind speed for a few days, but with a drop in speed now, polluted air is leading to smog throughout the day.

In Punjab, a total of 30.66 lakh hectares are under rice cultivation this year — 26.05 lakh hectare under paddy (non-basmati) and 4.61 lakh hectare under basmati.