India, Nov. 9 -- Punjab recorded 1,152 farm-fire incidents on Diwali, November 8, marking the sharpest single-day spike in stubble-burning cases this season. The surge came as Delhi woke up to heavily polluted air on Monday, with the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 366 in the morning.

The latest figures took Punjab's cumulative farm-fire count this season to 4,459, up from 3,307 a day earlier. The incidents represent a 34.8 per cent increase in 24 hours, according to data compiled under the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) protocol.

Of the 4,459 reported incidents, 2,998 fields had been inspected and 1,317 were physically verified as stubble-burning cases, India Today reported.

Tarn Taran recorded the highest number of...