The farm fire count in Punjab reached the 1,612-mark on Monday, with the state witnessing a spurt in incidents. A day after 175 farm fire incidents were reported in the state, a total of 98 stubble-burning incidents were reported on Monday.October 31 witnessed a peak in stubble burning, with 292 farm fire incidents reported from across the state.As of November 1, Punjab recorded the highest number of cases at 1,514, followed by Rajasthan (671), Madhya Pradesh (566), Uttar Pradesh (345), Uttarakhand (176), Haryana (42) and Delhi (2).Tarn Taran continues to top the district-wise tally with 489 farm fires, followed by Ferozepur (193), Amritsar (192), Gurdaspur (100) and Kapurthala (99).The air quality in Punjab cities has also started deteriorating, with the AQI in Patiala reaching 231. The air quality in Ludhiana plunged to 214, followed by Jalandhar at 157, Mandi Gobindgarh at 153 and Amritsar at 123.Commission member secretary Tarun Pithode held a review meeting on Jattvibeday with the Deputy Commissioners (DCs), District Magistrates (DMs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of Faridkot, Ferozepur, Barnala, Bathinda, Patiala, Malerkotla and Sangrur to assess the action taken by district administrations and their preparedness to manage paddy residue.The officials were directed to intensify surveillance, particularly during evening hours, when stubble-burning incidents can be closely monitored, and ensure prompt enforcement wherever violations are detected.As per AQI standards, an air quality index of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.According to health experts, deteriorating air quality triggers breathing discomfort among people with lung ailments, asthma and heart diseases. It can also cause skin, eye and nasal allergies.