Are you witnessing morning haze and wondering if winter pollution is already here, you are not wrong. The annual stubble-burning season has started in north India. As many as 47 farm-fire incidents were recorded across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh between September 15 and 23, according to satellite data compiled by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Punjab accounted for 25 of these cases and Uttar Pradesh 19, while Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh reported one each, a TOI report stated.
The numbers are still small compared with what is normally seen later in the season. Farm fires typically increase through October and reach their highest levels in the first 10 days of November. The stubble-burning window generally runs from September 15 to November 30. This year, however, weather conditions could make the pollution story more complicated.
