Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Crop Residue Burning in Punjab, India

Author(s)	Ruchi Arora, Prof. Dr. Rajan Bhandari
Country	India
Abstract	In Punjab’s paddy-wheat crop rotation, one of the most serious environmental problems is crop residue burning. This research analyses the spatio-temporal patterns of burning in Punjab over a period of 20 years from 2004-2024 based on MODIS (Terra/Aqua) and VIIRS (S-NPP) satellite images. The study points to the seasonal differences, with the burning of paddy residues in Kharif (October-November) and wheat residue burning in Rabi (April-May). On an average basis throughout the study period, Kharif fire events were 3 to 4 times greater than residue burning in Rabi season. Persistent hotspot districts such as Sangrur, Barnala, Ludhiana, Bathinda, and Moga repeatedly exhibited the highest fire densities. A gradual decline in fire incidents observed in 2024, across both seasons, suggests the emerging impact of crop residue management initiatives. The decadal spatio-temporal pattern that has been observed allows for the development of robust empirical foundations for the implementation of region-specific strategies that are based on evidence to reduce residue burning, at the same time, maintain agricultural productivity.
Keywords	crop rotation, crop residue burning, MODIS, VIIRS, Rabi, Kharif, spatial analysis, temporal trends
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On	2026-01-02
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.65195
Short DOI	https://doi.org/hbhrcw

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