After 7 cases last year, only 5 reported so far as farm fires in Haryana dry up

The state recorded a total of seven stubble burning cases in 2025, 177 cases in 2024, 277 in 2023, 80 in 2022, 62 in 2021 and 268 in 2022 between the September 15 to October 8 periods.

According to the data, in the last six years, the state witnessed a total of 268 farm fires in 2020. Of these, 67 were recorded in Karnal, 62 in Kurukshetra, 39 in Kaithal, 37 in Ambala, 19 in Fatehabad and 18 in Yamunanagar and in other districts.

In 2022, cases surged again and the state recorded 80 incidents of stuble burning. Kurukshetra saw 27 cases, Karnal recorded 20, Kaithal registered 9, Ambala saw 9 and Jind reported 8.

2023 marked a big bounce in stubble burning. The state recorded a total 277 paddy residue burning cases, including 56 cases in Ambala, 29 in Fatehabad, 49 in Kurukshetra, 23 in Jind, 19 in Karnal, 16 in Kaithal, 28 in Sonepat and 28 in Yamunanagar district.

In 2024, the cases dropped to 177, including 38 in Karnal, 37 in Kurukshetra, 17 in Ambala, 15 in Kaithal, 11 in Yamunanagar, 8 each in Sonepat, Palwal and Fatehabad, 12 in Faridabad and 10 in Jind district.

In 2025, the state saw a significant decline in stubble burning cases for the September 15 to October 8 window. The cases dropped to seven, including two recorded in Faridabad, while one case each was reported from Sonepat, Palwal, Kurukshetra, Jind and Fatehabad district.

In Panipat, paddy has been sown on 1.82 lakh acres, of which Basmati has been sown on 1.65 lakh acres, while non-Basmati has been sown on 17,000 acres, said Devender Kuhar, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), Panipat & Karnal, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department.

Paddy sown on 50,000 acres, including Basmati variety of paddy crop in 40,000 acres and non-Basmati in 10,000 acres, has been harvested so far.

In Sonepat, paddy has been sown on 2.25 lakh acres, of which 2.15 lakh acres has been allocated to Basmati while non-Basmati has been sown on 10,000 acres. Kuhar further said that Basmati crop was harvested from 15,000 acres while non-Basmati has been harvested from 9,000 acres in Sonepat.

In Karnal, Basmati crop has been sown in a total 4.5 lakh acres, comprising Basmati sown on 1.1 lakh acres and non-Basmati sown in around 3.40 lakh acres of land. Kuhar said that a total 30 per cent of paddy crop had been harvested in Karnal district.

Kuhar said village-level committees had been formed in the districts to keep a watch on and curb stubble burning. Officials from the departments of agriculture, revenue, panchayati raj, animal husbandry, and sarpanches are part of these committees, he added.

A total of 172 village-level committees in Panipat and 540 village-level committees in Sonepat have been constituted to keep a check on stubble burning, added Kuhar.