Haryana sees 76% dip in stubble burning cases

CHANDIGARH: Haryana, one of the major wheat producing states in the country, has seen an around 76% dip in cases of wheat stubble burning cases till now. As per Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) figures, only 414 incidents have been reported in the state till May 5.

As per the HSPCB data, the maximum number of cases have been reported from Jhajjar (83), Sirsa (78) and Sonepat (34) and 11 cases from Gurgaon, which is adjacent to the national capital, Delhi. Not a single incident has been occurred in Kurukshetra, Panchkula and Mahendergarh districts.
This season's figures are much lower than those in 2019 when 1,784 cases of wheat stubble burning too place till May 5. This year, no FIR has been registered compared to 95 FIRs lodged the previous year. A compensation of Rs 7,500 has been recovered from farmers so far. However, the finally tally of wheat stubble burning would be collated by the end of May.
S Narayanan, member secretary, HSPCB, said that the reasons for dip in stubble burning cases this time is awareness created among the farmers about the ill-effects of burning. "For rest of the analysis, we will have to wait till the season ends," he added.
HARSAC, which comes under the state's science and technology department, uses satellite images to spot stubble burning spots in the state during harvesting seasons. On receiving the images, it sends messages to the concerned district administration sharing the location of the area. Thereafter, the district administration takes action against the erring farmers. With much low number of cases till date, the final figure of wheat stubble burning may also be at an all-time low this time. Last year, Haryana saw around 7,500 cases of wheat stubble burning and a similar number of cases were reported in 2018. The total area under wheat crop in Haryana is around 25 lakh hectares.