Nearly 500 farm fires in 2 days in Haryana; may go up: Experts

GURUGRAM: After a slow start, the number of farm fires in Haryana has risen by around 467 over the past two days, fast adding to the total tally for this season as farmers rush to clear lands for the next crop cycle.
Data shows that the state has recorded 1,372 active fire locations (AFL) between September 15 and October 25 this year - inching towards the 1,764 incidents of stubble burning witnessed in the same period last year.

Experts iterated on Tuesday that they expect the figures to go up as the stubble burning season enters its peak over the next two weeks.
"We have been carefully observing the farm fires. The fires are expected to rise in the coming weeks," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment.
The paddy harvest season, and consequently the process to clear land for sowing the next round of crops, was delayed this year, owing to late-September and early October rains. Farmers across the northern agricultural belt in Punjab, Haryana and UP now have a small window until early November to start sowing all over again.
Burning up crop residue - or stubble burning - is the fastest and least capital intensive method to do so. But the emissions from it contribute heavily to pollutants that persist in the air during winter, when low temperatures, wind speed and direction allow smog to engulf Delhi-NCR.
"The next two weeks are crucial... Meteorologically, the region will see a dip in temperature and rise in stubble burning incidents may also increase the level of pollution," Roychowdhury said.
Satellite data collected by US space agency NASA and collated by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute showed that Haryana added 217 AFLs on Monday, and an even higher 250 on Tuesday.
In the total of 1,372 AFLs for Haryana, the most instances of farm fires were logged in Kaithal (379), followed by Kurukshetra (246), Karnal (224) and Fatehabad (132).
State officials said they have tried to encourage farmers to opt for subsidised machinery for clearing stubble, instead of burning down the crop waste. "We have been taking all measures to curb farm fires. The figures will come down in the next few years," said Karam Chand, deputy director of district agriculture department in Kaithal.