Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has declined by 27 per cent and 37 per cent as against last year, the Union environment ministry has said.
From 83,002 fires in 2020, the count in Punjab dropped to 71,304 in 2021, 49,922 in 2022, and further to 36,663 in 2023, the ministry said on Thursday.
In comparison to 2022, there was a 27 per cent reduction in farm fires in 2023.
The reduction was even higher, standing at 49 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively, when compared to 2021 and 2020.
In 2020, the farm fire count in Haryana was 4,202 which increased to 6,987 in 2021, then reduced to 3,661 in 2022, and further decreased to 2,303 in 2023.
This marks a 37 per cent reduction in 2023 compared to 2022, with reductions of 67 per cent compared to 2021 and 45 per cent compared to 2020.
The ministry said four districts in Punjab saw over 50 per cent fewer fires in 2023 compared to 2022. Five districts showed improvements ranging from 27 per cent to 50 per cent.
Three districts in Haryana recorded more than 50 per cent fewer fires in 2023 than in 2022. Five districts saw improvements of up to 37 per cent, while five others had increased fire counts in 2023.
The data showed Punjab had only four days in 2023 where fires exceeded 2000 counts, down from 16 in 2020, 14 in 2021, and 10 in 2022.
Haryana witnessed three days in 2023 where farm fires exceeded 100 counts, down from 16 in 2020, 32 in 2021, and 15 in 2022.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Punjab Prepares Rs 500-Crore Action Plan To Check Stubble Burning Crop Burning "Must Stop": Supreme Court On Delhi Air Pollution Explained: Why Delhi's Air Remains Toxic Despite Drop In Farm Fire Cases Agniveer's Family Was Paid Rs 98 Lakh: Army After Rahul Gandhi's Claim Nobody Can Expect To Escape: Kiren Rijiju On Notice Against Rahul Gandhi After Manipur Congress MP's Parliament Speech, BJP's "Core Issues" Jab Rishi Sunak Ramps Up Fear Factor In Last Ditch Election Push Your Guide To UK General Election UK Election: Number Of Seats, Candidates, Voters And Polling Stations Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.