NEW DELHI: Emissions from Delhi-NCR-based 12 coal-fired power plants are more deadly than the emissions from the burning of paddy straw in Punjab and Haryana. Thermal power plants (TPPs) produce multiple times more dangerous particulate matter and Sulphur Dioxide(SO2) than burning agri-residue does. Thermal power plants in NCR emit 281 kilotonnes of SO2 annually—16 times more than the 17.8 kilotonnes emitted by burning 8.9 million tonnes of paddy straw. Notably, crop residue burning causes a seasonal spike in Delhi-NCR pollution; however, the TPPs cause persistent year-round pollution. CREA advised that installation of flue gas desulfurisation (FGD) technology would reduce emissions from 281 kilotonnes to 93 kilotonnes in the NCR, representing reductions of 67%.
