India, Dec. 8 -- The role of stubble burning in the deteriorating air quality of the Capital this year has been significantly lower than previous years, as per an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The report, released on Saturday, is based on continuous ambient air monitoring and Decision Support System (DSS) modelling.

The average contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's PM 2.5 this November stood at 7%, down from 20% last year, while the peak contribution fell to 22%, as against 38% in 2024. Analysts said that while pollution levels remained fairly high this year too, lesser days with peak levels prevented the abrupt "emergency-like" spikes the Capital has recorded in many previous winters.

Data in ...