Summary
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, which together produce around 29 million tonnes of paddy straw, is a major contributor to North India's winter smog. The Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009 barred paddy nursery sowing before 10 May and transplanting before 10 June, to save groundwater.
That pushed harvests to late October and early November and left a 10 to 15 day window before wheat sowing. Assured procurement of rice and wheat and free power keep farmers in water-intensive paddy. Haryana offers per-acre incentives for diversification, while Punjab has relied mostly on residue-management machines.
Punjab and Haryana reported a 90% fall in burning incidents in 2025 compared with 2022, but analysts say satellite-based counts miss evening fires and multi-satellite data suggest a fall closer to 30%.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR UPSC & STATE PCS
As stubble-burning season begins, an analysis traces the problem to the interaction of the 2009 Punjab sub-soil water law, procurement incentives and free power and questions the reported 90% reduction in farm fires.
Standard News
One Law Solved Water and Created a Fire Season
The commitment on paper is clear. Punjab and Haryana have reported a 90% reduction in stubble-burning incidents in 2025 compared with 2022. The data beneath that claim is less reassuring and the reason fires persist lies in a chain of policies that each made sense on its own.
The water law that moved the harvest By the late 2000s, Punjab was pumping groundwater faster than it could recharge.
A NASA GRACE study found that Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan lost 109 cubic kilometres of groundwater between 2002 and 2008. Punjab's water table was falling about 0.36 metres a year. The Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009 responded sensibly.
It banned paddy nursery sowing before 10 May and transplanting before 10 June, so the thirsty crop would use monsoon rain instead of groundwater. But moving the start of the paddy season moved its end too. Harvests shifted to late October and early November, leaving just 10 to 15 days before wheat must be sown.
Long-duration varieties such as PUSA-44, at 150 to 160 days, shrank the window further. Combine harvesters leave about a foot of stubble. With little time and no cheap alternative, fire became the quickest way to clear a field, now in exactly the weeks when North India's winter air traps smoke.
Why farmers do not simply switch crops The obvious fix is to grow less paddy.
The incentives point the other way. Between 2012 and 2024, about 87% of Punjab's paddy and 74% of Haryana's was procured by the government, against a national average of 37%. Assured purchase means assured income and free or nearly free power makes pumping water cheap.
Machines such as Happy Seeders need a 60-horsepower tractor that sits idle most of the year. Hiring one can cost a farmer about ₹10,000, with a waiting period. Removing straw for off-field uses costs ₹1,500 to ₹2,500 per acre.
Where the
commitment really breaks: measurement The reported 90% fall relies on the CREAMS protocol, which uses NASA's polar-orbiting MODIS and VIIRS satellites. These pass over India only between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm and capture fires that are burning at that moment.
An ISRO-led study found that farmers have shifted burning to the evening, when those satellites are not watching. Using burned-area data from several satellites, an independent analysis found a fall nearer 30%.
What is
working Haryana's incentives offer a model: ₹1,000 per acre for residue machines, ₹4,000 for direct seeding of rice and ₹7,000 for moving away from paddy. That rewards farmers for the choice the state wants rather than only punishing the one it does not.
For GS3, the lesson is twofold. Environmental policies interact, so a water policy can create an air crisis. And a pollution target is only as credible as the instrument that measures it.
Quick Facts
Key numbers & takeaways — revise these first
-
Paddy straw produced in Punjab and Haryana: about 29 million tonnes.
-
Burning season: early October to end of November.
-
Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009: no paddy nursery before 10 May, no transplanting before 10 June.
-
Penalty under the Act: ₹10,000 per hectare for every month of contravention.
-
Window between paddy harvest and wheat sowing: 10 to 15 days.
-
PUSA-44 paddy: 150 to 160 days to harvest.
-
Groundwater loss (NASA GRACE study): 109 cubic km in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan between 2002 and 2008.
-
Paddy procurement share, 2012 to 2024: Punjab 87%, Haryana 74%, national 37%.
-
Wheat procurement share: Punjab 70%, Haryana 63%, national 30%.
-
Haryana incentives per acre: ₹1,000 for crop-residue machines, ₹4,000 for direct seeding of rice, ₹7,000 for crop diversification.
-
Reported reduction: 90% fewer burning incidents in 2025 compared with 2022 (Lok Sabha reply).
-
Monitoring: CREAMS protocol using polar satellites MODIS and VIIRS, observing between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm.
-
Alternative estimate: about 30% reduction using multi-satellite burned-area data.
-
Bodies involved: CAQM, CPCB, NGT, ICAR (CREAMS).
Connect the dots for your UPSC preparation.
Standard news covers the event. Log in to read our comprehensive analysis and uncover the hidden constitutional, structural, and ethical dimensions of this topic:
The full policy chain from the 2009 water law to winter smog, including how PUSA-44 and combine harvesters narrow the window farmers face.
A comparison of Punjab's machine-led approach with Haryana's incentive-led model and why one shows more promise for diversification.
Why the reported 90% reduction is contestable: polar satellites, evening burning and the independent estimate of about 30%.
A roadmap combining geostationary monitoring, a guaranteed price for stubble and procurement reform to break the paddy lock-in.
Included in this analysis
Join thousands of aspirants analyzing the news deeply.
Unlock Premium — Rs.699 AnnuallyDon't have an account? Sign up for free