Overview
- CREA analysis finds stubble burning averaged 7% of Delhi’s PM2.5 in November, down from 20% in 2024, with the peak contribution falling to 22% from 38%.
- RTI data show regional farm-fire incidents declined from 12,750 in 2024 to 6,080 in 2025, confirming a drop of more than 50%.
- FIRs against farmers in Punjab and Haryana fell to 2,193 from 6,469 year-on-year, with fines over the past two years totaling about ₹68 crore and lower penalties in 2025 reflecting fewer violations.
- IARI tracking corroborates the slide, with Punjab fires at 5,114 versus 10,909 last year and Haryana at 662 versus 1,406, while analysts note fewer high fire days.
- Experts attribute the timing and scale shift partly to floods delaying harvest and report that burning peaked in the second week of November, yet Delhi’s air remained in the ‘very poor’ range on many days.