Experts call for more efficient methods of tracking farm fires; say current count may be an underestimation
The current data from polar-orbiting satellites that pass over a location only at a set time every day may be leading to an underestimation, say experts; they seek more data on extent of stubble burning
With air quality in Delhi plummeting to hazardous levels, despite a five-year decline in the instances of stubble burning in Punjab, experts suggest that the current approach to satellite-based tracking of farm fires by government agencies may be leading to under-reporting the number of fires.

Hiren Jethva, a researcher who studies air flow in particulate matter and the role of farm fires at the Morgan State University in the U.S., has been saying in a series of posts on X since mid-October that the drop in instances of fires from Punjab may be an illusion.