Haryana Farm Fires Fall to Just 29 as Stubble Burning Crackdown Shows Results

Haryana’s preparations to check stubble burning have yielded encouraging results, with just 29 incidents of farm fires reported across the state so far this season. The figure stood at 89 during the corresponding period last year, while 739 farm fires were detected in 2024 and 1094 in 2023, showing how sharply the numbers have fallen over three years. The state government has deployed officials in the field and is using satellite mapping and drones to monitor farm fires, besides intensifying surveillance across the state. According to official information, Haryana has 5583 operational crop residue management machines to help farmers dispose of paddy straw without burning it. Karnal has the highest number of machines at 2086, followed by Kurukshetra with 864 and Ambala with 724. District-level monitoring has been tightened in sensitive areas. In Hisar, authorities reported just one farm fire incident so far, and nine sensitive villages have been identified for special monitoring. Two drones have been provided to strengthen surveillance in the district, while 197 teams have been constituted to keep a watch on stubble burning. The trend is consistent with earlier satellite data for the season, which showed Haryana recording only eight incidents between September 15 and October 15, down from 25 in the same period last year, and nine incidents by October 20 against 51 a year earlier. Officials say the focus now is on prevention and enforcement together, encouraging farmers to use residue management machines and other alternatives for straw disposal rather than setting fields alight.