As many as 81 farm fires have been detected on Saturday by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, primarily in the Majha region where harvest begins early.

With paddy harvesting picking up pace in Punjab, farmers have started setting fire to the stubble, presaging another harrowing autumn for people in the northern plains, including the national capital region, when smoke from the farm residue blankets the entire region in a toxic haze.

As many as 81 farm fires have been detected on Saturday by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, primarily in the Majha region where harvest begins early. Amritsar recorded 63 cases of farm fires. Overall, 214 cases have been reported in the current Kharif harvesting season so far that started on September 15. Out of these, 174 fires were reported only in Amritsar, followed by 13 in Tarn Taran.

“As per the data of the previous year, the farm fires start from Amritsar due to early harvest and then pick up in Tarn Taran, which usually records the maximum farm fires in the Majha area,” an official of the state’s agriculture department said on condition of anonymity. “The harvest is on time in Majha, while it is delayed in Malwa because of the late sowing of paddy due to floods.”