India, Oct. 27 -- Punjab on Sunday reported 122 new cases of stubble burning, marking the highest single-day spike this year and taking the total count this season to 743. This is the first day this year that the state has recorded farm fire incidents in three digits in a single day.

This comes even as data from the Centre's Decision Support System (DSS) showed the estimated contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's pollution touched a season-high of 3.71% on Sunday. Typically, farm fires can contribute up to 35% of Delhi's total PM 2.5 levels when stubble burning touches its peak, usually in the first week of November.

According to data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), which monitors stubble burning from September 15 to...