Air quality impacts of crop residue burning in India and mitigation alternatives

Crop residue burning in India significantly contributes to poor air quality and causes a substantial health burden. This study estimates the impact of agricultural emissions on air quality nationwide and quantifies the potential benefits of district-level interventions using an adjoint modeling approach. Findings reveal that crop residue burning led to 44,000–98,000 premature deaths annually (2003-2019), with Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh bearing the brunt (67–90%). Six districts in Punjab alone contributed to 40% of India's air quality impacts. Shifting burning times earlier by just two hours in Punjab could avert up to 9600 premature deaths annually, valued at $3.2 billion. Targeted, potentially low-cost interventions are supported, pending further cost-effectiveness and feasibility research.

Ruoyu Lan, Sebastian D. Eastham, Tianjia Liu, Leslie K. Norford, Steven R. H. Barrett