Prana Air is the proud associate of the pioneering initiative by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to monitor the air pollution due to stubble burning on ground zero. We designed PM monitors for real-time monitoring of the particulate concentration released during stubble burning in a bid to seek trends of deterioration in air quality and subsequently motivate the farmers to opt for eco-friendly alternatives.
Background
It is well-known that stubble burning is one of the primary causes of pollution in the Indian northern plains. Burning of the crop residues is a common practice that farmers undertake in the winter season to compensate for the short duration available between rice harvesting and wheat sowing. The farmers of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi have been adopting this technique, being oblivious of the trouble it creates. Combustion of this residue releases particulate matter in large concentrations. These particulates are so tiny that these can travel longer distances. Thus, it exacerbates air pollution in these states as well as those in the vicinity. Stubble burning renders the air quality hazardous and contributes up to 40% to the infamous winter pollution in Delhi alone. Several authorities have been trying to mitigate air pollution due to stubble burning since it is exponentially rising for the last few years.
Challenge
Particulate matter is not only detrimental to the environment but also hazardous to human health. Excess concentration or prolonged exposure to these tiny particles adversely affects the respiratory tract, heart, and even the brain! In a bid to control the rising winter pollution, CII adopted over 100 villages and 100,000 acres of farm area in Punjab and Haryana to enable zero stubble burning.
CII wanted to monitor the impact of these technologies on the emission rates. They also wanted to procure real-time tren