Punjab Farm Fires Surge Despite Initial Decline in India
Punjab experienced a record single-day spike in paddy stubble burning on November 3, reversing an earlier downward trend in crop residue fires across seven Indian states.
Paddy stubble burning incidents across seven Indian states initially showed a decline of 26.63% between September 15 and November 1, 2026, falling to 3,316 cases. Data from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research identified Punjab as the most affected state during this period, followed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. To mitigate these fires, the central government provided machinery subsidies through the Crop Residue Management scheme, while the Commission for Air Quality Management utilized satellite monitoring and enforcement squads.
However, this trend reversed sharply on November 3, when Punjab saw farm fire incidents jump from 98 to 584 in a single day. This surge marked the highest single-day count of the current harvesting season and accounted for 73% of the 798 incidents reported across six states that day. The district of Tarn Taran emerged as the worst-affected area both within the state and across the seven reporting states.
In response to the escalation, the Punjab Police registered 423 FIRs for disobedience of public orders. State authorities imposed 29.1 lakh rupees in environmental compensation across 573 cases and issued warning or show-cause notices to 572 nodal and supervisory officers. As of November 3, Punjab's cumulative total reached 2,196 cases, representing more than half of the 4,333 total incidents reported across the seven states.
