Stubble Burning Rises Again, Though Punjab Cases Down 18x Since 2020

Satellite monitoring recorded a fresh surge of stubble-burning incidents across north India, intensifying concerns over Delhi-NCR’s deteriorating air quality. According to the IARI, 382 active residue burning fires were detected across six states on 5th November bringing the total count to 5863 for the period 15th September to 5th November.

While seasonal stubble burning remains a recurring challenge, Punjab’s overall fire count has fallen almost 18 times over the years. Stubble burning incidences have declined from 53,107 cases in 2020 to 2,933 in 2025, reflecting one of the sharpest reductions in recent years.

Of what was recorded on 5th November, Punjab recorded 94 incidents, Haryana 13, Uttar Pradesh 74, Delhi 0 and Rajasthan 70. For just a day before, the number of incidents recorded for Punjab was 321.

Stubble burning and its trend :

Chart 1 :

Comparison of total recorded stubble burning incidents in Punjab for the period 15th Sept - 5th Nov for years 2020-2025

Focusing on Punjab, there has been a notable reduction in stubble-burning incidents when current figures are compared with previous years. During the peak paddy-harvest period, the number of recorded burning events in the state has steadily declined from 53,107 incidents in 2020 to 28,937 in 2021, 29,400 in 2022, and 17,403 in 2023. The decline became sharper in the following paddy seasons, falling to 4,755 incidents in 2024 and further down to 2,933 incidents in 2025 for the same monitoring window. This trend reflects a combination of improved residue management mechanisms, growing adoption of machinery, and targeted enforcement on repeated violators, though the challenge remains far from eliminated.

Stubble Burning Incidents: This Season vs Last Season Across Key Paddy States

When comparing the four major stubble-burning states, data for the period 15 September to 5 November for current and previous year also shows uneven but overall downward trends. Punjab has recorded a decrease of around 38%, while Haryana has seen a much sharper drop of about 80%. In contrast, Uttar Pradesh has shown a more modest reduction of roughly 25% and Rajasthan reduced about 30% of incidents, indicating uneven progress in residue management efforts across the region.The data suggests that while residue management interventions are taking hold regionally, the pace and consistency of reduction vary across states based on crop cycles, enforcement practices, and adoption of alternative residue-use models.

Chart 2 :

Comparison of total recorded stubble burning incidents in Punjab and neighboring states for the period 15th Sept - 5th Nov for years 2024 and 2025.