CAQM issues SOP on drones to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to track crop burning

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday said it has issued a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) and framework for using drones to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in this upcoming winter season, to detect crop-burning incidents on a real-time basis. The SOP, issued to the chief secretaries of the four agrarian states, asks for drone deployment to be done preferably between 3 pm and 9 pm – when farmers are more likely to make attempts to evade satellite detection, it said.HT ImageThe SOP also calls for states to maintain a central database of all drone-captured videos till at least three months after the harvesting season is over; to prepare detailed drone flight plans and to identify the total number of drones required, with a first action taken report (ATR) on the implementation of this to be submitted to CAQM by August 14. This comes a day after HT had on July 29 reported CAQM has asked Punjab and Haryana to start procuring drones for this winter season, following a successful pilot study in May.A CAQM official said while the initial plan was to cover hotspots in only these two states, however, it has now been decided to widen the ambit. “We have now decided to include UP and Rajasthan too. The detailed framework has been issued to four states, who will be required to share an update on its implementation by August 14,” a CAQM official told HT.Last year, multiple studies, showed several farmers were burning fields late in the evening – to avoid being captured by satellite imagery, resulting in an overall lower farm-fire count. India’s polar orbiting satellites complete their overpass and capture crop burning incidents typically between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm.One such study, released by the environmental think-tank the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST) in December 2025, found this was true across both Punjab and Haryana, with most fires being observed after 3 pm -- hours where government’s monitoring systems were simply not capturing data.“While a consistent decline in stubble burning incidents has been observed over the years due to targeted efforts of the States and implementation of the standard monitoring protocol developed by ISRO/IARI under the guidance of CAQM, there have been reports of stubble burning during late evening hours to evade satellite-based detection. In view of this, the Commission has highlighted the need for a more robust, real-time and technology driven surveillance mechanism to ensure complete elimination of crop residue burning,” said CAQM in its SOP, dated July 28, but shared on Wednesday.“...the state governments...need to strengthen their preparedness for the forthcoming paddy harvesting season by adopting drone-based surveillance for effective monitoring and prevention of stubble burning incidents...” it adds.“Drone surveys shall preferably be conducted during the day with particular focus on the late evening period (3PM - 9PM), when attempts to evade satellite detection are more likely,” the SOP states.CAQM in the framework states “drones can accurately detect active fire locations, identify smoke plumes, map affected agricultural fields and generate time-stamped evidence for prompt enforcement action” and said all four states will conduct drone operations, strictly in compliance with the provisions of the Drone Rules, 2021.“The monitoring area should cover paddy cultivation areas, with special emphasis on identified hotspot villages and fire-prone locations. States have also been advised to prepare advance drone flight plans, determine the required number of drone flights and map burning incidents with cadastral maps to enable precise identification of affected fields,” it adds, further calling for preservation of the data gathered – in a central database – till at least three months after the crop harvesting season is over.Further, the drones should be equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based positioning (in metre resolution), geofencing, return-home functionality, flight data logging and high-resolution RGB cameras capable of capturing geo-tagged images and videos, it adds.CAQM has also directed for access to all drone-captured videos, including live-streaming feeds – to its own Integrated Command and Control Centre (I3C) to enable real-time oversight, coordinated decision-making and timely action.HT’s report on July 29 had said CAQM’s pilot in the Patiala district, to test usage of drones for real-time action, was found to be successful, with ‘clear visuals’ being captured from a significant distance and height. CAQM has said this is important, as the current challenge involves a delay in getting data on crop burning.“Satellite data submitted to us is a day-old data, as it is from the previous day. The satellites also only make around two captures in a day, during the overpass. Meanwhile, data on burnt area is submitted to CAQM once in 15 days, so by the time we get this information, farm fires in an area will long be over. Meanwhile, drones allow real-time action by allowing teams to go and stop farmers immediately,” an official had told HT on Tuesday.