Pollution from Open Waste Burning triples in cities during winter: study

Why in News? 

According to recent report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) India, open waste burning in the surveyed Indian cities increases sharply during winter, with burning incidence, waste quantities and associated emissions reaching up to three times their summer levels. 

What does the study show? 

Based on the reported field surveys conducted during 2019-2026 across 11 polluted cities:

• Seasonal increase: Winter recorded substantially greater burning activity and emissions than summer.
• Highest quantity: Tier 2 cities (having populations of 5-50 lakh) recorded the largest quantities of waste burned.
• Highest frequency: Winter incidence averaged 49.6 incidents/km²/day in Tier 3 cities, which had the highest frequency compared to Tier 2 and Tier 1.
• Socio-economic inequality: Poorer neighbourhoods and low-income areas experienced more burning.
• Local exposure concern: Burning contributed less than 1% of estimated citywide PM2.5 and PM10 emissions in the assessed cities, yet could cause substantial short-term exposure near homes, streets and dumps.

What is Open Waste Burning? 

• It is the uncontrolled burning of discarded materials such as leaves, paper, plastics, textiles and mixed household waste in streets, vacant plots, neighbourhood dumps or disposal sites. Unlike a regulated treatment facility, it lacks controlled combustion conditions and emission-treatment systems. 
• WHO identifies it as a source of pollutants harmful to both health and climate. Depending on the waste composition, it can release:
  • PM2.5 and PM10, which penetrate deep into the respiratory system.
  • Carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds.
  • Black carbon and other short-lived climate pollutants.
  • Toxic organic compounds, particularly when plastics and other synthetic materials are burned.
  • Persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins and furans, which are highly toxic and can have long-term health effects.

The problem becomes particularly serious when mixed waste containing plastics, synthetic materials or other hazardous components is burned.

Why does the problem intensify during winter? 

Two processes operate together: more pollution may be emitted, while the atmosphere becomes less effective at dispersing it.

• Burning for warmth: People without affordable heating, including outdoor workers and homeless residents, may burn available waste. A January 2026 CAQM inspection found biomass/MSW burning at 18 of 54 inspected locations in Delhi’s NDMC area, with heating identified as a major purpose of biomass burning.
• Persistent waste accumulation: Irregular door-to-door collection can encourage households, street vendors and sanitation workers to burn accumulated waste. In areas lacking adequate waste infrastructure, burning becomes a low-cost method of reducing waste volume.
• Temperature inversion: On many winter nights, the ground cools rapidly, leaving colder air below warmer air. This suppresses vertical mixing and traps pollutants near the surface.
• Weak winds: Weak winds (stagnant conditions reduce horizontal dispersal) and stable atmospheric layers during winter can trap pollutants closer to the ground. Pollutants become concentrated within a shallower atmospheric layer.
• Moisture and temperature: Damp waste and cooler conditions can make disposal and decomposition more difficult, encouraging burning as a quick disposal method.

What is India’s Policy Framework?

• Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026: Effective from April 1, 2026, these supersede the 2016 rules. They mandate segregation into wet, dry, sanitary and special-care waste, introduce Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility, provide for digital tracking and strengthen legacy-waste remediation and environmental compensation.
• Responsibilities of generators and local bodies: The rules prohibit generators from burning waste in streets and specified public spaces. Urban local bodies must prepare waste-management plans incorporating ward-level collection, infrastructure and garbage hotspots.
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0: Its objectives include source segregation, door-to-door collection and scientific management of all waste fractions—services essential to preventing burning.
• National Clean Air Programme: CPCB’s PRANA monitoring framework includes waste and biomass dumping and burning, providing a basis for integrating waste services with clean-air planning.

Open waste burning is an avoidable source of exposure rooted in everyday service failures. Sending all mixed waste to incinerators is not a universal solution. Waste reduction and material recovery should come first. Sites that use thermal treatment should have suitable feedstock, strict emission controls and safe residue management. 

UPSC PYQ 2014

Q. Which of the following are some important pollutants released by the steel industry in India?

1. Oxides of sulphur

2. Oxides of nitrogen

3. Carbon monoxide

4. Carbon dioxide

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1, 3 and 4 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (d)