Patiala, May 4 -- It's only the beginning of May and Punjab has already recorded 1,052 farm fires (wheat residue), data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has revealed. This is double the figure recorded on May 3 last year, which was 442.

The PPCB starts monitoring farm fires for the rabi season from April 1, when the wheat harvesting begins, and ends it on May 30 when farmers start ploughing their fields in preparation of paddy sowing.

With 155 cases, Hoshiarpur has the highest number of farm fires so far, followed by Kapurthala with 170 farm fires. Fazilka reported 116 cases while Ferozepur reported 114 cases. It has been learnt that there is underreporting of fire incidents.

According to data provided by PPCB, the state ...