Punjab farm fires see massive spike, more likely ahead

The number of stubble blazes in Punjab continued to swell on Wednesday as farmers set fire to vast swathes of paddy fields ahead of the rabi sowing season in blatant defiance of the Supreme Court's directives.

- Navrajdeep Singh

Punjab recorded 2,544 farm fires on Wednesday, a sharp jump from 1,776 on Tuesday and 1,624 on Monday.

Wednesday's count took the state's total stubble fire tally this season to 30,661, still nearly 20,000 short of last year's count.

Of the 49,992 farm fires last year, 6,703 were reported between November 16 and 30. In 2021, this number was 4,284 out of 71,304 cases.

Barring a dramatic turnaround in cropping patterns or an unlikely intervention by state authorities, it is likely that more fires will burn over the next few days and push clouds of pollution towards the national capital.

Police officers blamed the failure of enforcement on a shortage of logistics on the ground and a lack of cooperation from residents.