The Supreme Court has mandated 24×7 monitoring of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, revealing that farmers are timing their burning after NASA satellites pass to avoid detection. With new satellite data highlighting this evasion, the court aims to enhance real-time monitoring and address the significant contribution of stubble burning to air pollution in northern India.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the 24×7 monitoring of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, following revelations that farmers are strategically timing crop burning to evade detection by NASA satellites. The court emphasized the need for real-time data to address the issue effectively, citing its impact on air pollution in northern India.
The problem came to light few weeks ago that farmers were burning stubble after 1:30 pm, the time when NASA satellites Suomi NPP and Aqua finish their overpass of the region. These satellites are currently used to monitor farm fires twice a day. The Supreme Court noted that this practice had caused a severe undercount of crop burning incidents, especially in Punjab.
“Farmers are timing crop burning after 1:30 pm, the overpass time of NASA satellites over the subcontinent,”
the court observed, underscoring the need for 24×7 monitoring to counter this evasion.
NASA scientist Hiren Jethva from the Goddard Space Flight Centre highlighted how farmers have adapted their practices. “The majority of the crop burning happens after 2 pm, once the NASA satellites overpass the region,” he explained.
Geostationary satellites from South Korea, which capture images every five minutes, have detected significant crop-burning activity post-2 pm.
“The data from geostationary satellites is sensitive to the thermal signals produced by fires. It lasts for at least four hours, and these fires cannot be hidden,”
Mr. Jethva stated.
Various investigations accessed exclusive satellite images, confirming the undercount of farm fires in Punjab. On November 18, at 2:18 pm, shortly after NASA’s satellite overpass, images of an area west of Amritsar revealed at least 26 independent farm fires.
These fires, captured through sensors from NASA Worldview, demonstrated the significant contribution of post-overpass fires to air pollution. The smoke seen in these images was described as resembling a warzone, though it originated from stubble burning rather than explosions.
To address this issue, the Centre for Air Quality Management (CAQM) informed the Supreme Court that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was tasked in January to develop a system to study burnt areas and improve farm fire detection.
The CAQM previously claimed a 70% reduction in stubble burning, but the new findings challenge this assertion, highlighting the limitations of the current NASA-based monitoring system.
Stubble burning significantly contributes to Delhi’s annual winter air pollution crisis. The Supreme Court’s order for 24×7 monitoring reflects a broader effort to tackle this recurring problem and ensure more accurate data collection.
The Supreme Court’s intervention, driven by the latest satellite evidence, aims to address a critical gap in monitoring practices. “Farm fires cannot be hidden,” as noted by experts, and the shift to continuous surveillance marks a significant step in curbing air pollution caused by stubble burning.
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