Farmers change stubble burning time to evade satellite surveillance
Farmers in Punjab are adopting a strategy of setting fires in the evening and at night to evade the radar of satellites monitoring stubble burning.
Administrative action and judicial strictness continue to check the incidents of stubble burning in Punjab. Meanwhile, those setting fire to fields have changed their methods to evade tracking via satellites.
Polar satellites with monitoring instruments like NASA's MODIS and VIIRS generally pass over the area only during the afternoon and take pictures of ground conditions.
Taking advantage of this scheduled time of satellite passes, farmers are now setting crop residue on fire after dusk or in the darkness of night. Due to this, these incidents are missed from being included in the daily satellite data. This method is being used along the lines of the tactic adopted to evade American satellite surveillance during the Pokhran nuclear tests.
Dr Chandra Bhushan, Chief Executive Officer of environmental organization iFOREST, clarified that the current tracking system is not fully effective. He stated that this system only counts fire spots, but is unable to provide exact information on the area covered by the fire and the time it was set.
According to government records, 80 thousand cases of fire were recorded in Punjab during the year 2021. In the year 2025, this figure reduced to only 6 thousand.
Experts say that although government strictness, fines, and the use of machines have led to a decline in cases, the method of setting fires by evading satellites is also a main reason behind this massive drop seen in reported cases.
Key developments
- NASA's main monitoring satellites pass through the region only during the afternoon
- Farmers are burning stubble in the evening or night to evade satellite detection
- Current monitoring framework unable to ascertain the exact time and spread of fire
- Cases registered in Punjab dropped from 80 thousand in 2021 to 6 thousand in 2025
