Punjab logs 404 fresh farm fires, south Malwa dists account for over 80% cases

With 404 fresh incidents of farm fires in Punjab, the total number of such incidents in the state this season has reached 1,44,280.

According to the data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, out of the 404 fresh incidents of farm fires on Wednesday, 324 were reported from south Malwa districts, including Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Fazilka, and Faridkot. These districts accounted for over 80% of the total cases reported in the state on Wednesday.

The districts of Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Fazilka, and Faridkot are the major contributors to the problem of farm fires in Punjab.

The data further revealed that Sangrur district, which is also in the south Malwa region, reported the highest number of farm fires on Wednesday with 70 incidents, followed by Bathinda with 67, Mansa with 59, Muktsar with 56, Fazilka with 40, and Faridkot with 32.

The other districts that reported farm fires on Wednesday included Amritsar (21), Tarn Taran (14), Kapurthala (8), Jalandhar (7), Hoshiarpur (6), Ludhiana (5), Patiala (4), Fatehgarh Sahib (4), and Rupnagar (3).

The state government has been taking several steps to curb the problem of farm fires, including imposing a ban on the burning of crop residue and providing financial assistance to farmers for the purchase of machinery to manage crop residue.

However, the problem persists due to several factors, including the lack of awareness among farmers about the harmful effects of farm fires, the high cost of machinery, and the lack of alternative methods to manage crop residue.