Stubble burning continues after Diwali, while Indian cities choke from pollution

Stubble burning on farms in Punjab and Haryana continued after Diwali, despite the fact that major cities were choked with pollution and the Supreme Court advised governments to stop stubble burning immediately. Images from Punjab farmland showed farmers defying the rule, with farmers beginning stubble burning after the festival of lights.

A video posted by the news agency ANI showed significant amount of stubble burning in a farm on Mamdot Road in Ferozepore, Punjab. No surprise, Ludhiana residents were dealing with pollution as the air quality index (AQI) dropped to 500 on Monday evening, falling into the “severe” category for the first time this season.

Cases of farm fires are on the rise

In Punjab, Ludhiana reported 143 incidences of stubble burning in just 24 hours, making the city’s air a health threat. Overall, farm fire occurrences in Punjab have climbed dramatically, with 2,611 cases reported in the last two days, bringing the overall number of cases to 26,341.

On Sunday, the state recorded 987 occurrences of stubble burning, while 1,624 cases were reported on Monday. Notably, the Punjab government initiated a crackdown on farmers three days before Diwali and succeeded to reduce the number of cases. This comes after the Supreme Court slammed the state administration last week for raging fires.

Thick layers of pollution have been observed in several sections of the state, resulting in impaired visibility on national and state roadways. The air quality in Punjab has deteriorated as a result of an increase in the number of stubble burning incidents and the bursting of crackers on Sunday.

Punjab reported 751 occurrences of stubble burning from November 9 to 11, with 639 cases on November 9, six cases on November 10, and 106 cases on November 11, a day before Diwali on Sunday.

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