Panjab Strives to Prevent Stubble Fires Amidst Ambiguous Data

Alarmed by the observations of the Supreme Court of India, the Commission for Air Quality Management reiterated that zero stubble burning during the current paddy harvesting season is non-negotiable. It directed the district administrations in the adjoining states of Panjab and Haryana to enforce statutory measures with both incentives and deterrence. The Panjab government has instructed thermal power plants to prioritize procurement of biomass pellets from manufacturers within the state, ending the previous practice of sourcing from Haryana. The decision follows objections raised by private pellet manufacturers in Panjab, who alleged that procurement clauses favored large Haryana-based companies. Nearly 40 biomass pellet units currently operate in Panjab. Germany-based Verbio Group is expanding its presence by setting up around 10 new bio-energy plants. These facilities will aim to convert agricultural residue, especially crop stubble, into clean energy, helping to address both air pollution and energy sustainability. Meanwhile, according to data from the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space, Panjab has accounted for over 85% of the total crop residue burning cases in five north Indian states in the first 11 days of this season until 24 Sep. Out of 82 stubble burning cases, 75 are from Panjab. However, 42% cases (35) have been found to be false alarms with no actual stubble burning. The Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, the agency that collects data regarding farm fires, had reported them as crop fire cases, but when they were verified within 24 hours by the nodal officers, appointed by the deputy commissioners concerned, it was found that no stubble was being burnt. As per the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) action-taken report, only 47 fire incidents could be physically verified by the field officers. Farmer unions have flagged this anomaly, questioning the credibility of the data being used to track stubble-burning incidents. The reason is that the geo-stationary satellite sometimes detects fire incidents other than the stubble burning: garbage fire or smoke coming from a chimney. PPCB data shows stubble burning cases dropped 70% in 2024, with 10,909 cases compared to 36,663 in 2023 and 49,922 in 2022 (earlier coverage).