Biomass burning is responsible for Delhi haze, study finds

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According to a recent analysis, open-pit burning of biomass was found to be the main contributor to haze in Delhi, both during the post-monsoon period between late October and November and in winter from November to January.

Scientists from IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Delhi, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), University of Birmingham, Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad and Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs participated in the analysis.

The composition of PM2.5 was studied at two sites from October 2019 to January 2020 to identify the sources behind the haze. One site was at IIT-Delhi, Hauz Khas, while the second site was at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, near Pusa Forest.

The study identified four haze periods in the post-monsoon and winter seasons, with different compositions of PM2.5. These periods were classified as agricultural burn (post-monsoon) and mist-1, mist-2 and mist-3 in winter.

Organic aerosols from biomass combustion were dominant in all four fog periods. But, the post-monsoon haze (around late October to mid-November) was largely affected by biomass combustion particles likely from “agricultural residue combustion emissions in the windward states of Delhi,” the study notes. .

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