Satellite data has recorded a sharp concentration of fire spots in Pakistani Punjab during October, with the pattern pointing strongly towards crop burning in the province’s rice belt. The figures, drawn from NASA FIRMS satellite data and analysed by HamariHawa, provide a detailed picture of where and when fires were detected during the first 29 days of the month.
Between 1 and 29 October, 13,241 fire spots were recorded in Pakistani Punjab. That compares with 3,158 fire spots recorded in Indian Punjab over the same period. The Pakistani figure is 4.2 times the figure across the border, a comparison that has drawn attention because crop burning on both sides of the border is often discussed together in debates about seasonal smog. The data suggest that, in October at least, the detected fire activity was heavily concentrated on the Pakistani side.
Most of the detected fires were on farmland. According to the analysis, 92 per cent of the fire spots were on farmland, which makes crop burning the likely explanation for the large majority of them. That finding matters because it links the satellite detections to a specific agricultural practice, rather than to a mix of unrelated causes. Crop residue burning after harvest is a seasonal activity, and its timing in October coincides with the period when smog typically begins to worsen in the region.
The busiest single day in the period was 29 October, when 1,327 fire spots were recorded. A single day total of that scale shows how concentrated the activity can become, with a large number of fires detected within a short window. Such concentration can contribute to a rapid deterioration in air quality, because smoke from many fires in the same region can combine and linger, particularly when weather conditions limit dispersion.
Within Punjab, the distribution was also uneven. Okara recorded the highest number of fire spots, with 2,144. Gujranwala followed with 1,011, and Nankana Sahib recorded 1,003. Those three districts alone account for a substantial share of the provincial total. The fires were concentrated in the rice belt around Lahore, which helps explain why the provincial capital and its surrounding areas are so exposed to the smoke produced during this season.
The geography of the fires is important for understanding their impact. When burning is concentrated in the rice belt around a major city, the smoke does not remain confined to the fields where it originates. It can drift towards urban areas, adding to the pollution already produced by traffic, industry and other sources. The result is a seasonal burden on air quality that affects large numbers of people, including those with no direct connection to farming.
Against that background, the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency has been carrying out pre-smog enforcement. Its action has targeted brick kilns, industry, plastic burning and construction dust, among other sources. That enforcement effort reflects the fact that smog has multiple contributors, and that addressing only one source is unlikely to resolve the problem. Brick kilns, industrial emissions, the burning of plastic waste and dust from construction sites all add to the pollution load, and each requires a different form of regulation and monitoring.
The satellite figures, however, raise a specific question about crop burning itself. If 92 per cent of detected fire spots were on farmland, then enforcement against other sources, while important, does not by itself address the largest single category of detected fires in October. The challenge for policymakers is how to reduce crop residue burning while recognising the pressures faced by farmers, who must clear fields in time for the next crop. Alternatives to burning, and the support farmers would need to adopt them, are therefore central to any longer term response.
The comparison with Indian Punjab also adds context to the regional debate. Seasonal smog is often discussed as a cross-border issue, and figures from both sides are frequently cited together. The October data show a marked difference in the number of fire spots detected on each side during this particular period, which suggests that the pattern in any given month can vary and that local conditions and practices matter alongside regional factors.
Source: Dawn.
