New Delhi, Oct. 29 -- Farm fires, a seasonal source of air pollution in the national capital, fell 31.3% year-on-year across six states in northern India during the initial weeks of this year's stubble-burning season, according to satellite-based data from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The data showed a decline in farm fires across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand while Madhya Pradesh recorded an increase between 15 September and 27 October this year.

The decline comes at a critical point in the agricultural calendar, as stubble burning in neighbouring states is a seasonal contributor to worsening air quality in Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR), particularly during wi...