📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Original: AjoyDutta1997
Derivative work: Aristea
Agriculture
Record Diwali Air Pollution in Punjab as Stubble Burning Intensifies
✍️ Amar Ujala · Patiala
🗓 10 Nov 2026, 12:45 PM
👁 13
Air quality in Punjab reached a record high during Diwali, driven by massive stubble burning and exposing administrative shortcomings and farmers' distress.
Punjab recorded its highest ever air‑pollution index during the Diwali celebrations this year, with particulate matter (PM2.5) levels far exceeding the national safety limit. Satellite data and ground monitors showed a sharp rise in pollutants coinciding with widespread burning of crop residue across the state's fields.
Farmers in districts such as Patiala, Ludhiana and Sangrur have resorted to burning leftover straw after the harvest, citing a lack of affordable alternatives and tight sowing windows. The practice released thick smoke that quickly spread over urban centres, reducing visibility and triggering health alerts.
State officials have been criticised for failing to enforce existing bans on stubble burning and for not providing sufficient support for mechanised residue management. Health experts warn that the toxic haze could exacerbate respiratory problems, especially among vulnerable populations, and call for immediate remedial measures.
The Punjab government has announced a short‑term relief package for affected farmers and pledged to intensify monitoring during the festive period, but activists argue that long‑term solutions are needed to break the cycle of fire‑based residue disposal.
Farmers in districts such as Patiala, Ludhiana and Sangrur have resorted to burning leftover straw after the harvest, citing a lack of affordable alternatives and tight sowing windows. The practice released thick smoke that quickly spread over urban centres, reducing visibility and triggering health alerts.
State officials have been criticised for failing to enforce existing bans on stubble burning and for not providing sufficient support for mechanised residue management. Health experts warn that the toxic haze could exacerbate respiratory problems, especially among vulnerable populations, and call for immediate remedial measures.
The Punjab government has announced a short‑term relief package for affected farmers and pledged to intensify monitoring during the festive period, but activists argue that long‑term solutions are needed to break the cycle of fire‑based residue disposal.