Environmental Association of Burning Agricultural Biomass in the Indus River Basin.

ABSTRACT: Intensification of smog episodes, following harvesting of paddy crops in agricultural plains of the Indus basin in the Indian subcontinent, are often attributed to farming practice of burning standing stubble during late autumn (October, November) months. Biomass burning (paddy stubble residual) is a preferred technique to clear farmlands for centuries by farmers in that basin. However, despite stable agricultural landholding and yield, smog is being increasingly associated with burning agricultural biomass, thus creating a paradox. Here, we show that the concentration of smog (NOx, PM_2.5, SO₂) in the ambient air exceeds the safe threshold limits throughout the entire year in the region. This study argues that agricultural biomass burning is an ephemeral event in the

SUBMITTER: Usmani M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7597142 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature