To plug gaps in farm fires 'undercount', govt agencies fine-tuning 'burnt area' mapping

• To plug gaps in farm fires data, government agencies, including Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), are working to develop a methodology to fine-tune and standardise mapping of “stubble burnt areas”

Highlights:

• The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) are collaborating to standardize and fine-tune methodologies for mapping stubble-burnt areas. This initiative aims to address inaccuracies in farm fire data, which have critical implications for air quality management, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Challenges in Current Farm Fire Detection

Undercounting Bias of Polar-Orbiting Satellites:

• Polar-orbiting satellites, such as those from NASA (Terra MODIS, Aqua MODIS, Suomi NPP), pass over a region at specific intervals, often missing fire incidents occurring outside their overpass times.
• This limitation has led to discrepancies in reported farm fire incidents, as highlighted in recent Supreme Court proceedings.

Impact of Atmospheric Conditions:

• Factors like smog hinder the ability of satellites to detect fire events accurately, reducing the reliability of the data.

Resolution and Sensitivity Issues:

• While geostationary satellites like Korea’s GEO-KOMPSAT 2A offer continuous monitoring, their thermal sensors lack the resolution and sensitivity to detect small-scale farm fires effectively.

Efforts to Enhance Data Accuracy

Use of European Sentinel-2 Satellite:

• Sentinel-2 provides high-resolution imagery (20 meters) every five days, including optical, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared data.
• This improves the ability to map burn scars on fields with greater accuracy.

In-Season Pilot Programs:

• Collaborative efforts between ICAR-IARI, NRSC, and state remote sensing centres aim to test real-time solutions for challenges like smog interference and undercounting.

Standardized Protocol Development:

• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) initiated a committee under NRSC in January to create a unified approach to map stubble-burnt areas.

Incorporating Geostationary Satellite Data:

• Following Supreme Court directives, CAQM is exploring the integration of data from geostationary satellites like GEO-KOMPSAT 2A to complement existing datasets.

Trends in Farm Fire Data

• Punjab: Farm fires have significantly declined, from 82,147 incidents in 2020 to 10,104 by November 20, 2024.
• Haryana: Incidents dropped from 6,464 in 2020 to 1,183 during the same period.
• These figures, while indicative of progress, may still underrepresent the actual situation due to detection limitations.

Implications for Policy and Air Quality Management

Improved Decision-Making:

• Accurate and real-time farm fire data can enable more targeted interventions at the state level, reducing stubble burning and its associated air quality impacts.

Actionable Insights:

• Leveraging data from both polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites ensures comprehensive monitoring and helps bridge existing gaps in farm fire detection.

Collaborative Approach:

• The integration of efforts across institutions like NRSC, IARI, and state remote sensing centres exemplifies a robust model for addressing complex environmental challenges.

Way Forward:

• Technology Development: Invest in advanced thermal imaging sensors with higher sensitivity for geostationary satellites.
• International Cooperation: Collaborate with global satellite programs to expand data sources and improve monitoring accuracy.
• Policy Support: Strengthen frameworks for stubble management, incentivizing alternatives to burning, supported by accurate satellite data.

Prelims Takeaways

• Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)
• National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-IARI