NAROWAL: Due to the increase in the prices of petroleum products, the farmers are continuing with earlier practice of setting wheat crop residue on fire in their fields.

Fires have been reported in Sambrial, Daska, Pasrur, Zafarwal, Shakargarh and other areas of Sialkot and Narowal districts.

Farmers are preferring to set fire to wheat crop residues in their fields instead of removing them with the help of agricultural equipment as the cost has increased due to hikes in prices of petrol and diesel.

The government has made it easier for farmers to get modern machinery to remove wheat and rice crop residues from their fields but the higher fuel prices have become a hurdle.

The farmers, on condition of anonymity, say that the cost of disposing of remains of the wheat crop from fields has doubled due to the surge in the rates of petroleum products that’s why they are forced to set the residue on fire.

The citizens, Muhammad Ehsanullah and Muhammad Rizwan Malik, say that due to the intense heat, they sleep on the roofs of their houses at night along with their family members but when there are fires in fields they can’t do that as ash of the smoke falls on their beds.

They say that due to the ash and smoke, their children are suffering from chest infections, fever, eye irritation and skin diseases and allergies. The farmers said that the district administration had been informed about the fires in the fields and the problems faced by the citizens.

Despite these complaints, the district administration and environment department are not taking any action against the farmers.

Muhammad Shafiq, the district officer of Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera), says that no assignment has been given to the authority by the district administration.

He says controlling fires in the fields is the responsibility of the agriculture and environment departments.

This correspondent contacted Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Saba Asghar Ali but received no response.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026