LAHORE: Pakistan’s Punjab has recorded more than four times as many crop-fire detections as India’s Punjab during the first 29 days of October, raising fresh concerns about agricultural burning and its contribution to worsening air pollution across the province.
According to a satellite-based analysis by environmental monitoring website HamariHawa, NASA satellites detected 13,241 fire hotspots in Pakistan’s Punjab between October 1 and 29. In comparison, Indian Punjab recorded 3,158 detections during the same period.
The findings show that crop-fire detections in Pakistan’s Punjab were 4.2 times higher than those across the border.
The analysis, based on data from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), found that around 92 per cent of the detected fires in Pakistan’s Punjab were located on agricultural land and were likely linked to crop-residue burning.
The situation reportedly worsened towards the end of October. Around 6,655 fire hotspots, representing nearly half of the monthly total, were detected during the final seven days of the period.
October 29 recorded the highest daily number, with 1,327 fire hotspots detected across the province.
A separate comparison using data from the Suomi NPP satellite also showed a significant difference. It recorded 4,562 fire detections in Pakistan’s Punjab against 918 in Indian Punjab during the same period.
The latest figures indicate a major reversal from 2019, when Indian Punjab recorded nearly five times more fire detections than Pakistan’s Punjab. At that time, the respective figures stood at 14,002 and 2,908.
Historical data further showed that Indian Punjab reduced its satellite-detected crop fires by 95 per cent between 2021 and 2025. In contrast, Pakistan’s Punjab recorded a 33 per cent increase between 2019 and 2025.
In 2025, Pakistan’s Punjab reported 12,364 fire detections, compared with 3,714 in Indian Punjab.
The latest agricultural fire activity has been concentrated in Punjab’s rice-growing belt, particularly in districts surrounding Lahore.
Okara recorded the highest number of fire hotspots, with 2,144 detections between October 1 and 29. Gujranwala followed with 1,011, while Nankana Sahib recorded 1,003.
Together, the three districts accounted for 4,158 fire detections, exceeding the entire total recorded in Indian Punjab during the same period.
Other affected districts included Pakpattan with 922 hotspots, Sheikhupura with 756, Hafizabad with 713, Dera Ghazi Khan with 710, Kasur with 699, Khanewal with 682 and Jhang with 676.
The concentration of agricultural fires around Lahore has raised concerns that smoke from different parts of the province could be contributing to the city’s deteriorating air quality, depending on wind direction.
However, the analysis cautioned that satellite detections only identify fires visible when satellites pass over an area. They do not establish the total land burned or the amount of smoke released. Some fires may also remain undetected because of cloud cover, heavy smoke or the timing of satellite passes.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has intensified its campaign against pollution ahead of the winter smog season.
