NEW DELHI: A report prepared by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) says that paddy was sown in 30,28,521.3 hectares in Punjab in 2022 and around 15.3% of the sown area was harvested, of which 20% saw harvest remnant burning till October 14. Experts said the burning percentage is currently low, but will pick up from October 25. The IARI report was prepared using multi-data satellite remote sensing images to estimate the paddy area sown, harvested and burnt in the current crop year. Track the pollution level in your city The report, released on Wednesday, said of the total sown area, 4,62,170.9 hectares were harvested, of which 92,624.3 hectares were burnt till October 14. While farm fires have so far been recorded only in 20% of the harvested area this year, experts say the figure is low and likely to result now in high volume stubble burning. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, said, “Data shows that the fire counts at present are low. But it is expected to increase in the next two weeks. We saw this last year too when a wet October delayed the fires. We have to wait and watch what effect the rains have on farm fires when the winter inversion is expected to intensify.” According to the IARI’s report, most stubble burning in Punjab has been noted in Amritsar, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana. In 2021-22, 53.8% of the sown area in Punjab saw fires. The percentage burnt area of the harvested area was 55.7% in 2020-21, 37.4% in 2019-20 and 49.4% in 2018-19. Professor Vinay Sehgal, principal scientist in charge of Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space Laboratory at IARI, predicted, “The paddy residue burning season will pick up from October 25. The harvesting season is in progress and farm fires will see a rise.” IARI, which follows the standard protocol 2021 notified by air monitoring panel Commission for Air Quality Management, said 2,721 paddy residue burning events were recorded in Punjab between September 15 and October 20 this year against 3,730 in the same period last year and 9,399 in 2020. Between September 15 and October 20, Haryana recorded 664 stubble burning events this year, 1,237 in 2021 and 1,225 in 2020. In the same period, Uttar Pradesh reported 187 farm fires this year, 529 in 2021 and 626 in 2020.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/capital-braces-for-trying-time-after-harvest/articleshow/94997316.cms