Despite an official indication of a decline in stubble burning this year, some experts have expressed concerns that farm fires by farmers in north-west India and Pakistan may be planned to avoid detection by satellites.

Farmers in Punjab and Haryana continue to burn stubble despite government interventions, impacting air quality and health.

Despite reports of a decline in stubble burning, experts believe farmers may be outsmarting satellites by timing their fires to avoid detection, raising concerns over the accuracy of pollution data.

Despite these reductions, stubble burning remains a major environmental issue, as farmers often resort to it due to limited time and inadequate machinery to manage crop residue. As the window for sowing Rabi crops like wheat is narrow, burning paddy stubble becomes a quicker option for many small-scale farmers.

Amid a downward trend in stubble burning, recent evidence suggests that farmers have been avoiding overpass time to hide farm fires.

Multiple instances of stubble burning in northwest India and Pakistan have led to extreme pollution, especially in the Indian national capital

Despite a decrease in reported stubble burning incidents in north-west India and Pakistan, experts have raised concerns over a possible shift in burning timings to avoid satellite detection. While the number of fires has dropped,