At 966, state witnesses season’s highest single-day farm fires

The ongoing month has seen a sudden spike in farm fire events. Of the 4,100 farm fires reported since April 1, 3,954 (over 96 per cent) have been reported in the first 10 days of May. A total of 966 fire incidents were reported today, the season’s highest.

On May 8, the state reported 954 farm fire incidents, while 785 incidents of residue burning were reported on May 7. A total of 584 incidents of stubble burning were reported on May 9.

So far, Ferozepur (465), Gurdaspur (458), Bathinda (402), Fazilka (311), Hoshiarpur (271) and Sangrur (260) are among the districts with the maximum farm fire incidents. As many as 4,996 incidents of farm fire were reported during the corresponding period in 2023, while 8,664 incidents of stubble residue burning were reported during the same period in 2022.

According to the Vice Chancellor of PAU, Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, multiple factors are contributing to the rise in farm fire incidents in the state.

“First, the price of wheat straw, which was preferred as cattle feed, has dipped considerably due to which farmers are not getting a remunerative prince for it. Secondly, the declining trend of keeping cattle in rural households is a contributing factor. Since the demand has declined, the prices have also dropped,” said Dr Gosal. He said some farmers, who were sowing pulses, were also setting the residue on fire to clear the fields.

“If the farmers continue to set the straw on fire, to improve the soil health, they will have to use more urea and fertilisers, which means more input cost. We urge the farmers not to set the wheat residue on fire,” said Dr Gosal.