Central Idea

Farm fires, particularly paddy crop residue fires, contribute to air pollution in northern India. To monitor and address this issue, satellite data is utilized.

CREAMS Laboratory: Monitoring farm fires

Agency: The Indian Agricultural Research Institute’s (IARI) Consortium for Research on Agro-ecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space (CREAMS) Laboratory is responsible for collecting and disseminating daily bulletins on paddy residue fires.
Coverage: Data covers Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi.
Information Provided: The bulletin includes district-wise fire incident numbers, comparative data from previous years, location, satellite details, time, and fire intensity.

Satellites: Three NASA satellites (VIIRS on Suomi NPP, MODIS on Terra and Aqua) capture data by recording land surface temperatures.
Coverage: These satellites pass over the Indian subcontinent twice daily, with varying times.
Resolution: VIIRS offers higher resolution, while MODIS has coarser resolution.
Data Use: Satellite data is used to differentiate farm fires from other types, such as forest fires or industrial fires.

Standardization: In 2021, a standard protocol for monitoring farm fires using satellite data was established.
Data Comparison: Comparative data is available from 2020 onwards.
Punjab’s Data: The Punjab Remote Sensing Centre provides similar data specific to Punjab.

Reflectance Signature: Paddy crop residue fires are distinguished based on the unique reflectance signature of paddy fields.
Land Surface Temperature: Active fires are identified based on land surface temperature deviations from surrounding areas.
Fire Intensity: Intensity, expressed as energy emitted per unit area per unit time, indicates the amount of residue burned.

Recipient Agencies: Bulletins are sent to central and state-level agencies, including the Commission for Air Quality Management, the Ministry of Agriculture, and state agriculture departments.
Action Measures: Authorities use the data to identify hotspots and plan measures, such as machinery availability, to address farm fires.
Targets: Some states, like Punjab and Haryana, set targets for reducing farm fire incidents based on satellite data.