The Indian Space Research Organisation has said that its current algorithms are insufficient to provide credible data on farm fires. The Commission for Air Quality Management has submitted ISRO’s response in the affidavit it submitted to the Supreme Court. Recently, a senior NASA scientist’s claim about farmers allegedly duping NASA’s satellites was brought to the Supreme Court’s notice.
Are farmers in Punjab evading NASA satellites?
NASA scientist Hiren Jethva claims so. He says that farmers in both India and Pakistan may be intentionally evading satellite detection. He indicated in a social media post that farmers may be timing their fires to coincide with periods when satellites are not actively monitoring the region.
In another post, Jethva expressed concern over the apparent inconsistency between the reported decline in stubble burning and the unchanged aerosol levels in the atmosphere.
What has ISRO told Supreme Court about farm fire data provided by foreign satellites?
ISRO has told the Commission for Air Quality Management or CAQM that farm fire data provided by different satellites may not present ground reality.
It has added that it will develop their own, in-house algorithm for analysis. This system will analyse foreign satellites’ data for accuracy.
The satellites used presently include India’s INSAT-3DR, South Korea’s Geo-Kompsat 2-AMI, European Union’s Meteosat-9. It also includes China’s Feng Yun-4A/4B and Japan’s HIMAWARI-8.
How have experts in India reacted to the development ?
Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman professor Adarshpal Vig has dismissed the claim. He said that data collected by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre—using both ISRO and NASA satellites—captures incidents of stubble burning, including those that occur at night.
“Punjab Remote Sensing Centre gathers data of farm fires from various satellites. Our data also has fire incidents at night. So, avoiding detection by satellites can be a figment of imagination of a few but not the reality.”
What does government’s Farm Fire data suggest?
The government data collected by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and other agencies shows a significant decrease in stubble burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana.
Between September 15, 2024, and November 19, 2024, a total of 27,319 burning events were reported across six states. This indicates a significant 90% reduction in “firm fires” in Punjab in comparison to 2020 when it recorded more than 81000 cases.
What had Supreme court ordered about farm fire data?
Recently, during a hearing on pollution in Delhi, the Supreme court of India observed that there is a significant difference between farm fire data of NASA and Korean satellites. The apex court ordered authorities to use geostationary satellite data for continuous monitoring of farm fires.
What is the way forward?
Chandra Bhushan, CEO, International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology, suggested that relying on the number of reported fires as a measure of the problem may not be accurate. “A more accurate approach is to measure the total burnt area,” he proposed.
Another expert, Gufran Beig, who is the founder of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research and chair professor at National Institute of Advanced Studies, has advised making use of Indian geostationary satellite INSAT-3D/3DR. This satellite provides continuous coverage and data every 15–30 minutes. But it has a disadvantage too, because its resolution may not detect scattered fire of small sizes.
