Farm fires incidents fall over last year, unusual weather plays spoiler

Wind speed rise from Nov 11 may blow away pollutants, but stubble burning cases likely to go up after Diwali

A toxic haze continues to blanket the national capital, with the air quality index hovering below 400. The usual villain responsible for the annual smog crisis in Delhi and adjoining areas is, however, missing in action.

Data analysed by research agencies and reviewed by Business Standard shows a significant reduction in farm fire incidents across Punjab and Haryana, pointing at climatological and meteorological factors causing havoc on the city’s already worsened air quality.

According to the data collated by Climate Trends, the total farm fire incidents recorded in Punjab between October 1 and November 5 fell 47.8 per cent to 14,255 from