On Saturday, Punjab, India, experienced a record surge in farm fires, logging 644 incidents in a single day, which pushed the total to 2,403 between April 15 and May 2. This figure is more than double the incidents reported during the same period last year. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) data indicates that Sangrur district has the highest number of cases at 285, followed closely by Ferozepur with 275 incidents. In comparison, neighboring Haryana reported 2,185 farm fires this season. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has noted that over 2,000 of these cases occurred in just the last six days, coinciding with the peak of wheat harvesting. Experts, including SS Gosal, vice-chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, have raised concerns about the adverse effects of stubble burning on soil health, urging farmers to adopt in-situ methods for stubble management. The decline in fodder demand has led to increased stubble burning, a practice that farmers previously avoided.