Satellite imagery of Delhi has begun to record instances of farm fires, data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) shows. While farm fires in neighbouring Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are on the rise, Delhi till October 21 has recorded 11 instances of stubble burning so far, which is the highest for the Capital in the last four years.
Delhi logged a total of five cases in the entire season between September 15 and November 30 last year, 10 in 2022, four in 2021 and nine in 2020, data available by IARI’s Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (Creams) showed. Data for Delhi was not maintained before 2020.
Comparative figures also show an increase in numbers so far. Till October 21 last year, Delhi had recorded two farm fires, three in 2022, none in 2021 and six in 2020. All cases logged this year are from the north and northwest districts – near the Delhi-Haryana border, Creams said.
VK Sehgal, professor and principal scientist at IARI and part of Creams, said the two districts were known for growing paddy, but a clearer trend will emerge once data is gathered for another month. “Though an anomaly, we will have to wait and see until mid-November if we are recording more cases in Delhi or not. If the count goes up to 20 or 30, then we may have to assess why this is the case this year,” he said.
Paras Tyagi, an activist with the NGO CYCLE India, which works with Delhi’s villages for development, said a delayed monsoon is likely to have played a part. “The withdrawal of the monsoon was delayed and most fields remained flooded throughout the monsoon season. It is likely some farmers felt the window of harvesting and growing the next crop became shorter and opted for this methodology,” he said, adding that farmers in Delhi also did not have access to happy seeders or other such machinery.
Experts said instances in Delhi are not likely to have a significant impact on its air quality. “These are limited cases, but can be assessed once the season progresses. Sometimes, prolonged rains can lead to concentrated burning, but in Delhi’s case, these instances are still very few and far between,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive, director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment.
The Delhi government did not comment on the matter.
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