Research Projects

The emission of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) and air pollutants is a global concern due to transboundary impact followed by health impact. In recent years, air pollution issues across Asia have been hitting the headlines due to the unprecedented rise in energy demand. The same problem multiplies when we talk about India due to growing energy demand, technology adopted and changing lifestyle. Unlike big cities, Indo-Gangetic-Plain (IGP) and developed states, the Northeastern states of India have not drawn much attention to GHGs/air pollution issues to date. The North Eastern Region (NER) comprises eight small States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura where the air pollution in the state capitals, is growing gradually. The government identified 132 list non-attainment cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) mission, 8 non-attainment cities belonging to the NER. This is quite alarming because these NER regions experience various types of emission load from non-traditionally dominating sectors like solid fuel used in cooking activities, agricultural practices, crop residue burnings, cooking street vendors, biomass burning for heating, transport system etc. Ammonia (NH3) plays a vital role in atmospheric chemistry, as it is a primary form of reactive nitrogen. It has immense environmental implications due to its significant impact on the nitrogen cycle and its associated air pollution issues. In contrast to the natural sources of NH3 viz., agriculture, livestock excreta/manures, and animals, the anthropogenic sources include fertilizer application, crop residue, compost, vehicular exhaust, biomass burning, waste disposal and fossil combustion. NH3 is a key precursor of where its atmospheric reactions lead to secondary aerosol formation. It is a respiratory tract irritant affecting the asthmatic individual and the ones susceptible to respiratory allergies. Furthermore, methane (CH4), one of the potential GHGs, is a contributor to air pollution and climate change. The role of CH4 as a predecessor of tropospheric ozone is crucial and is responsible for ozone layer depletion. Conventionally sectors like livestock, paddy field, and solid waste burning are considered to be dominating sources of methane emission in India. Moreover, methane has more and less similar sources as in the case of ammonia. NER is one of dominating rice-cultivating regions in the country where methane and ammonia emission is important from a climate point of view. As per our best knowledge, there are no comprehensive detailed studies on ammonia and GHGs like Methane emission estimation over NER. The project proposed a better understanding of the sources of ammonia and methane over NER through the development of a spatially resolved high-resolution IPCC bottom-up approach, based on seasonal emission inventory for NER, which would be a useful piece of scientific information for policy makers and research communities.