New Delhi: The Union environment ministry reported a considerable reduction in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana in contrast to previous years.
According to the ministry's data released on Thursday, there has been a 27% decline in farm fires in Punjab and a 37% decrease in Haryana compared to the previous year's figures.
The statistics revealed a notable decrease in the number of farm fires over the years.
In Punjab, the count reduced from 83,002 in 2020 to 71,304 in 2021, further dropping to 49,922 in 2022, and significantly lower to 36,663 in 2023. Similarly, in Haryana, the farm fire count was 4,202 in 2020, escalated to 6,987 in 2021, then reduced to 3,661 in 2022, and further declined to 2,303 in 2023.
Comparing the figures, there was a 27% reduction in farm fires in Punjab in 2023 compared to 2022, while the decline was even more substantial at 49% and 56% compared to 2021 and 2020, respectively. Likewise, in Haryana, there was a 37% reduction in farm fires in 2023 compared to 2022, with remarkable decreases of 67% compared to 2021 and 45% compared to 2020.
The ministry's data also highlighted the performance of specific districts.
In Punjab, four districts witnessed over 50% fewer fires in 2023 compared to 2022, while improvements ranging from 27% to 50% were observed in five other districts. Similarly, in Haryana, three districts recorded more than a 50% reduction in fires in 2023 compared to 2022. While five districts exhibited improvements of up to 37%, five others experienced increased fire counts in 2023.
Notably, the data illustrated a substantial decrease in the number of days when farm fires exceeded certain counts.
Punjab saw a decrease from 16 days in 2020, 14 days in 2021, and 10 days in 2022, to merely four days in 2023 where fires surpassed 2000 counts. Similarly, Haryana witnessed a decline from 16 days in 2020, 32 days in 2021, and 15 days in 2022, to just three days in 2023 where farm fires exceeded 100 counts.