Even as government data suggests a sharp drop in stubble burning in Haryana — from 1,406 incidents last year to 662 this year — data derived from satellite shows that the burnt area in the state area has actually risen from 7,117 sq km in 2024 to 8,812 sq km in 2025, a new report has revealed. In Punjab, the area burnt has not reduced too significantly from 23,262 sq km to 19,757 sq km even as a huge decline was reported in the cases of farm fires — from 10,909 last year to 5,114 this year.

The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST), which released a report on Monday, has said this mismatch persists because more than 90% of large fires in 2024 and 2025 occurred after 3 pm, outside satellite overpass times.

This aligns with the findings of an ISRO s

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