# Crop burning in Punjab: 13,241 fires in October, 4.2 times Indian Punjab, as Lahore AQI hits 232

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/crop-burning-in-punjab-13241-fires-in-october-42-times-indian-punjab-as-lahore)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 31 Oct 2026
Updated: 31 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 31 Oct 2026

> Satellite data show Pakistani Punjab now burns far more stubble than Indian Punjab. Okara, Gujranwala and Nankana Sahib alone outburned the whole of Indian Punjab.

Lahore smog season has a clear source this year. Satellites detected **13,241 fire spots in Pakistani Punjab between 1 and 29 October 2026**, against **3,158 in Indian Punjab**, a ratio of 4.2 to 1, according to an analysis by the air-quality site HamariHawa [reported by Dawn](https://www.dawn.com/news/2041172/pakistans-punjab-records-42-times-more-crop-fire-detections-than-indian-punjab-report). About 92% of the fires were on farmland, which points to crop burning.

On 31 October at 1pm, IQAir ranked **Lahore first among major cities for bad air, with an AQI of 232**, in its "very unhealthy" band.

## The trend has reversed

In 2019 it was the other way round: Indian Punjab had about five times as many detections (14,002 against 2,908). Between 2021 and 2025 Indian Punjab cut satellite-detected crop fires by 95%, while detections in Pakistani Punjab rose 33% from 2019 to 2025. Last year the ratio was 3.3 to 1.

The counts come from NASA's FIRMS system using the VIIRS sensors on the Suomi NPP, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 satellites. They record where a fire was burning when a satellite passed, not how much land burned, and miss fires under cloud or thick smoke. Pakistan publishes no official daily fire count of its own to compare.

## Worst districts

| District | Fire spots, 1 to 29 Oct |
|---|---|
| Okara | 2,144 |
| Gujranwala | 1,011 |
| Nankana Sahib | 1,003 |
| Pakpattan | 922 |
| Sheikhupura | 756 |
| Hafizabad | 713 |
| Dera Ghazi Khan | 710 |
| Kasur | 699 |
| Khanewal | 682 |
| Jhang | 676 |

Okara, Gujranwala and Nankana Sahib together recorded 4,158 fires, more than the whole of Indian Punjab. Most of the burning sits in the rice belt around Lahore, so smoke reaches the city whenever the wind blows from those districts. Half the month's fires (6,655) came in the last seven days, with a peak of 1,327 on 29 October.

## What the government says it is doing

The Punjab Environment Protection Department says that between 28 September and 27 October it inspected 11,580 brick kilns (197 demolished, 163 sealed, Rs 40.7 million in fines) and 6,650 industrial units (191 sealed, Rs 28 million in fines). It says 67 quick response units use satellite alerts to reach burning fields. Director General Environment Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh said the department follows a "zero-tolerance policy against pollution".

## What you can do in Lahore

- Check the AQI before going out in the morning and evening, when smog is usually thickest.
- Keep children, older people and anyone with asthma indoors when AQI is above 200; an N95 or KN95 mask helps outdoors, a cloth mask does not.
- Keep windows shut during peak hours and avoid outdoor exercise.

If you are thinking about a purifier or running a fan heater with windows closed, our [AC running cost calculator](/tools/utilities/ac-running-cost-calculator) and [electricity bill calculator](/tools/utilities/electricity-bill-calculator) show what the extra units cost.

## Frequently asked questions

**How many crop fires were detected in Punjab in October 2026?**

13,241 fire spots in Pakistani Punjab from 1 to 29 October, against 3,158 in Indian Punjab, per HamariHawa's analysis of NASA satellite data reported by Dawn.

## Sources

- Pakistan's Punjab records 4.2 times more crop-fire detections than Indian Punjab: report (Dawn): https://www.dawn.com/news/2041172/pakistans-punjab-records-42-times-more-crop-fire-detections-than-indian-punjab-report
- FIRMS: Fire Information for Resource Management System (NASA): https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/

How to cite: "Crop burning in Punjab: 13,241 fires in October, 4.2 times Indian Punjab, as Lahore AQI hits 232", Searchable, 31 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/crop-burning-in-punjab-13241-fires-in-october-42-times-indian-punjab-as-lahore