Satellites detected 34,000 stubble fires, suggesting underreporting in Punjab, Haryana
India
A NASA scientist, Hiren Jethva, says satellites spotted around 34,000 stubble fires in Punjab and Haryana this season: way higher than the 4,459 incidents recorded by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
This gap suggests a lot of burning might be going unreported, which could be making the region's air pollution even worse.
Need better tracking of stubble burning
Local authorities rely on older monitoring methods that often miss fires set later in the day, while satellite data can catch more of what's really happening.
The big difference shows it's time for better tracking so we actually know how much stubble burning is happening and can do something about North India's growing air quality problems.