The Punjab and Haryana governments have levied penalties of over Rs 2.1 crore and Rs 21 lakh, respectively, on farmers for stubble burning this year. Over 50 percent of these fines have already been collected from offenders.

Data from previous years reveals that Punjab imposed penalties of Rs 3.1 crore in 2020, Rs 2.8 crore in 2021, and Rs 1.7 crore in 2022, corresponding to 12,106, 10,244, and 6,695 stubble burning cases, respectively. The number of farm fire incidents significantly decreased from 83,002 in 2020 to 49,922 in 2022. In 2023, the state collected Rs 1.9 crore in penalties for 7,061 stubble burning cases.

Haryana also saw higher penalty collections and cases in previous years. In 2020, the state collected Rs 86 lakh for 464 cases, with 4,202 stubble burning incidents reported. However, data on penalties collected after 2020 could not be verified.

Environmental Measures and Penalties for Stubble Burning

In reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Ministry of Environment stated that by November 30, Punjab had recorded 10,909 stubble-burning incidents, while Haryana had 1,406. Environmental compensation penalties were levied following inspections of 5,525 fields in Punjab and 638 fields in Haryana, according to The Times of India.

Last month, the central government increased penalties for stubble burning. Farmers with less than two acres of land now face a fine of Rs 5,000 per incident; those with between two and five acres are charged Rs 10,000; and farmers with over five acres are fined Rs 30,000 per incident.

Impact on Air Quality and Pollution

A senior official from the Union Ministry of Environment informed parliamentarians on Wednesday that stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR, and various measures are being implemented to encourage farmers to use paddy residue for animal feed and industrial purposes.

An analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) shows that the city faces the highest levels of pollution from November 1 to 15, which coincides with an increase in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana.

Key reasons for stubble burning include the paddy-wheat cropping cycle, the cultivation of long-duration paddy varieties, mechanized harvesting that leaves behind crop stubble, labor shortages, and the absence of a profitable market for crop residue.

Studies suggest that during peak stubble-burning periods, farm fires account for up to 30 percent of the PM levels in the Delhi-NCR region and its surrounding areas.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) states that an air quality index above 400 signifies highly polluted air that can harm human health.

On Thursday, Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Upper House that the CPCB monitored air quality in 280 cities in 2023, with 46 of them experiencing several days with an AQI exceeding 400.