NASA Satellite Image Shows Smoke From Farm Fires In Punjab Region As AQI Soars; Worst Yet To Come, Say Experts

The pollution is caused by a complex mix of factors, including crop fires, dust storms, vehicle emissions, and industrial activities. The worst pollution days are expected to be ahead.

AQI Worsens: Like every year, NASA satellite images have detected increased fire activity and smoke plumes in the Indo-Gangetic Plain throughout late October and in the first week of November. There has been a surge in air pollution from crop burning that has severely affected northern India and Pakistan, particularly in the densely populated Punjab region. As the annual rice harvest season concludes, farmers in Punjab usually burn residual straw from rice crops to prepare fields for winter wheat — a cost-effective but pollution-heavy practice.

Images acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite on November 3, 2024, show plumes of smoke streaming from numerous small fires burning in Pakistan and India.

Air quality measurements in Pakistan's Lahore have recorded PM2.5 levels above 300 on the Air Quality Index (AQI), a threshold deemed hazardous. Local authorities have implemented measures, including school closures, partial lockdowns, and suspensions of construction work to curb exposure to the harmful air. 

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Experts Predict Pollution Levels May Worsen 

NASA’s Pawan Gupta explained that the poor air quality results not only from crop fires but also from a complex mix of pollutants. Dust storms from the Thar Desert, motor vehicle emissions, industrial activities, and fires used for cooking and heating all add to the region’s haze, explained the scientist from AERONET, which is a NASA-sponsored network of ground-based sensors that tracks the concentration of aerosols at locations across the world. 

Additionally, seasonal weather conditions, particularly temperature inversions in November and December, trap pollutants near the ground, intensifying smog. This "lid effect" traps pollution between the Himalayas and Vindhya Range, preventing it from dispersing.

“So this is just beginning,” Gupta said, adding: “The worst pollution days are probably still ahead of us.”

According to Hiren Jethva, a senior research scientist with NASA, data from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index suggests an expected 15,500 to 18,500 fires in 2024 — one of the highest counts since 2002, barring 2016 and 2021.