New Dashboard to reveal the true scale of stubble burning across four states

How serious is stubble burning in northern India? Counting the number of farm fires may not give us the full picture. Many fires go undetected by satellites. Also, the number of fires does not tell us how much agricultural land has actually been burnt.

To address this gap, the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST) has launched a new satellite-based dashboard called Fire Watch.

The aim is to provide a clearer picture of stubble burning. It tracks three important things: the number of active fires, the time of day when burning is most intense, and the total farmland affected during the burning season.

In its first phase, Fire Watch will cover Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In the next phase iForest will add more states to the the dashboard.

Why counting farm fires is not enough?

Most existing monitoring systems depend on satellites that pass over a particular location only at a particular time. They detect fires that are active during this time period. However, fires that start and end between satellite observations can be missed.

This means the actual scale of stubble burning could be larger than the number of fires reported.

Dr Chandra Bhushan, CEO of iFOREST, said that current monitoring methods provide an incomplete picture of the problem.

He said that the policymakers need to know not just how many fires are detected, but also where and when burning takes place and how much land is affected. Fire Watch brings this information together to help governments and the public better understand the problem.

How does Fire Watch work?

The dashboard uses data from different satellites. Each satellite plays a different role.

• MODIS and VIIRS: These satellites detect active fires and show where they are taking place. They also help identify affected districts. However, they may miss fires that occur between their observation times.
• Meteosat 8 and Meteosat 9: These satellites observe the same areas much more frequently, roughly every 15 minutes. Their data helps identify the time of day when stubble burning is at its peak.
• Sentinel-2: This satellite provides high-resolution images of farmland. By comparing images taken before and after the burning season, researchers can estimate how much agricultural land has been burnt.

By combining data from all these satellites, Fire Watch aims to provide a more complete picture of crop residue burning rather than just conventional fire-counting systems.

Data will be available to the public

Fire Watch will present its findings through interactive maps, charts and filters. This will allow researchers, policymakers and citizens to explore the data.

The platform will also publish weekly bulletins on stubble burning.