Madhya Pradesh surpasses Punjab in the number of tribal fires, with more than 10,000 cases this season.

Incidents of tribal burning, which is a major contributor to air pollution in North India, showed variation across states. While typical hot spots like Punjab and Haryana have made progress in reducing cases, there is a significant increase in farm fires in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh, in particular, has surpassed Punjab in the total number of farm fire cases this season, crossing the 10,000 mark.

This change in pattern has added a new dimension to sustainable agricultural practices, which are notorious for contributing to severe air pollution in North India during the harvest season.

As of Monday, Madhya Pradesh has reported 506 incidents of shocking ethnic arson in one day, surpassing the high of 296 cases recorded on November 2. This figure makes up more than half of the cases registered across the country that day, highlighting a rise in the state. In contrast, Punjab, which had recorded 587 incidents on November 1, managed to reduce this number to 262 on November 4, showing good practice in controlling crop residue burning.

However, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, like Madhya Pradesh, have shown a worrying spike. Uttar Pradesh recorded 84 cases on Monday, a dramatic increase from 16 the previous day. Similarly, Rajasthan’s numbers jumped from 36 cases to 98, marking the second highest total this season after October 16, which saw 100 cases.

In a further development, Haryana has seen a decline in the rate of ethnic arson, with incidents falling from 42 on October 31 to 13 on November 4. Despite this improvement in some areas, the statistics collected are still worrying, as the state passes the 10,000 mark. incidents of annual ethnic arson. Punjab remains the largest contributor, with 4,394 cases, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 2,875 out of 10,693 cases.

Experts consider this situation presents a complex challenge for policy makers, as there is an increasing urgency to support alternative farming methods to reduce the damage done to the environment and promote sustainable farming.