This winter, like others, the air quality range in the Delhi–NCR region has oscillated between being poor and severe. Given the criticality, this time, the Central Government formed a Commission for Air Quality Management to check the menace of air pollution (MoEFCC 2020). As in previous years, in 2020 too, one of the major causes of peak pollution during winter in the Delhi–NCR region was stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.
Stubble burning, however, is seasonal. The other major causes, such as vehicular pollution, construction dust, and pollution from industries, contribute to poor air quality throughout the year. Another major contributor to air pollution levels across North India, which is not talked about as much, is biomass burning for cooking in rural households (Chowdhury, Chafe, Pillarisetti, et al. 2019). Traditional cookstoves (chulhas) that use solid biomass as fuels increase direct exposure to household air pollution (HAP). According to World Health
This story is from the January - March 2021 edition of Energy Future.
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This story is from the January - March 2021 edition of Energy Future.
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