Farm Fire Underreporting: ISRO Flags Shift in Stubble Burning Time
Context : An ISRO study has flagged a potential underestimation of farm fire incidents in Punjab and Haryana. This is attributed to a gradual shift in the peak burning time by farmersโfrom the early afternoon to late afternoon/early eveningโspecifically to evade detection by the traditional Polar Satellite Monitoring system used for official data collection
I. The Discovery of Altered Burning Practices
While official government data (sourced from agencies like IARI) suggests a steady and significant decline in farm fires in the Northwest region, the analysis by the Space Applications Centre (SAC) of ISRO challenges this optimistic trend.
The Shift in Peak Activity
The ISRO study, which utilized data from European geostationary satellites (Meteosat Second Generation – MSG), revealed a calculated change in farmer behavior:
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Observed Shift: The peak fire activity has gradually shifted from approximately 1:30 PM (13:30 IST) in 2020 to around 5:00 PM (17:00 IST) in 2024.
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The Motive: This shift is highly deliberateโto avoid detection and punitive action (FIRs, environmental compensation) by exploiting the blind spots of the commonly used Polar Satellite Monitoring system.
II. Policy Response and Way Ahead
The findings by ISRO underscore the inadequacy of current monitoring and enforcement strategies used by bodies like the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
1. Enforcement Challenges and Increased Penalties
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Awareness: Government officials in Punjab and Haryana are now aware of this deliberate shift in timing and have informed the Supreme Court.
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Round-the-Clock Vigil: State governments have responded by deploying over 10,500 personnel for round-the-clock monitoring and creating specialized ‘Parali Protection Force’ teams to detect night-time burning.
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Punitive Measures: To deter violations, CAQM has revised the Environmental Compensation (EC) structure, significantly increasing penalties for violators based on landholding size.
2. Technological and Institutional Imperatives
Moving forward, the strategy to combat stubble burning must be data-driven and technology-agnostic:
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Integration of Geostationary Data: CAQM must integrate fire data from Indian geostationary satellites (like INSAT-3DS) into its official reports alongside the data from Polar Satellite Monitoring to get a true picture of fire incidents.
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Developing In-House Algorithms: ISRO has been tasked with developing indigenous algorithms to analyze foreign geostationary satellite data, ensuring real-time, accurate reporting.
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Focus on Root Cause: While monitoring is essential, the long-term solution lies in robust implementation of the Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme, providing accessible and subsidized machinery to farmers for in-situ and ex-situ residue management, making burning economically unattractive.
Conclusion
The ISRO study provides a crucial insight: the official dip in farm fire numbers may be misleading, a byproduct of successful evasion tactics rather than comprehensive behavioral change. The challenge of stubble burning now requires a shift from relying on simplistic Polar Satellite Monitoring to using continuous geostationary satellite data, backed by rigorous ground enforcement and effective disbursement of CRM subsidies. Only a transparent, technology-backed approach can lead to accurate emission inventories and effective air quality mitigation strategies.
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