Punjab recorded more than 500 farm-fire incidents on Wednesday, even as the state remains on course to surpass last year’s tally despite extensive spending on anti-stubble-burning measures. With just over two weeks left before the farm-fire season ends on November 30, officials face mounting pressure to contain the rise in cases.According to data compiled by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the state reported 515 farm fires on November 11, compared with 312 on the corresponding day in 2025 and 418 in 2024. Punjab has recorded 5,517 farm-fire incidents between September 15 and November 11 this year, against 4,507 during the same period last year.The rise in incidents comes despite nearly 96 per cent of Punjab’s 32.87 lakh hectares under paddy having already been harvested. With farmers racing against time to sow wheat during November, officials fear stubble-burning cases could continue in the coming weeks.As per the data compiled by the state government, in as many as 1,695 cases, environmental compensation amounting to Rs 85.90 lakh has been imposed. Of this, Rs 37.55 lakh has been recovered so far.Also, the PPCB has made 1,637 “red entries” in land records of farmers resorting to farm fires. A “red entry” in revenue records signifies that the title of the land is “not clear”, which makes it difficult for the farmers to sell that land or avail bank loan against it.Meanwhile, people in the state continue to breathe poor-quality air. On Wednesday, the air quality index (AQI) stood at 207 in Jalandhar, 227 in Patiala, 278 in Ludhiana and 241 in Khanna while the industrial town of Mandi Gobindgarh surprisingly was the least polluted at 111. However, the data of Amritsar was unavailable on the PPCB portal.“The saving grace was the breeze and increase in wind speed that helped disperse the pollutants,” said an expert. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.Some private agencies, which also monitor air quality, continued to show Punjab cities in “severe” category with a majority of them recording an AQI over 300. Smog-like conditions prevailed across Punjab, with a thick layer of smoke visible in several areas, particularly in the rural belt where cracker emission combined with smoke from burning crop residue.PPCB officials disputed the readings reported by some private platforms, saying they do not follow the methodology prescribed by government agencies.”Their equipment may be of inferior quality or outdated, resulting in erratic readings under varying weather conditions,” an official said. Officials expressed hope that an expected spell of cloud cover and rain in the coming days would help disperse pollutants.