Back to news
8 Jun 2017 | Atmosphere Initiative

Emissions Study to Differentiate Characteristics of Paddy and Wheat Crop Residue Burning

As part of an Atmosphere Initiative research, Manisha Mehra, a research associate at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the 2016 recipient of the Atmosphere Initiative PhD Fellowship, is undertaking an emissions study in Lumbini to analyze the effects of agricultural crop residue burning.

Mehra travelled to Lumbini, in the Terai region of Nepal, to collect samples of emissions resulting from the burning of wheat residue in fields in April 2017. The first round of fieldwork for the study, where samples of emissions from the post-harvest burning of paddy were collected, was conducted in November 2016.

0 mins Read

70% Complete
Collecting samples of wheat residue burning in Lumbini. Photo: Sujan Shrestha/ICIMOD

Mehra collected wheat residue samples from the same districts, Kapilvastu and Rupendehi, where she had collected the paddy residue samples in 2016. She explains that the wheat residue, unlike paddy residue, is extensively used as cattle fodder and in paper mills. Therefore, there is less burning of wheat residue than of paddy residue.

The study is an attempt to differentiate the characteristics of paddy and wheat residue burning emissions. The experimental setup was exactly the same for both wheat and paddy residue burning campaigns.

Details about Mehra’s study and her previous fieldwork are available here.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

30 Jan 2017 Himalica
A Regional Orientation Training on Ecosystem Services Assessment Held in Udayapur, Nepal

The Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalayas (Himalica) programme of ICIMOD organized a regional orientation ...

30 May 2017 News
Soil Erosion a Serious Concern in the Koshi Basin

Published in 2016, the study showed that the soil loss rate estimated was 22 million tonnes per hectare of barren ...

24 Aug 2018 News
Highlighting Need for Sustainable Tourism at Global Adventure and Mountaineering Expo

Molden’s talk was titled Climate+Change and Sustainable Tourism: A regional cooperation perspective in the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region. Its key ...

Bridging Knowledge Gaps: the Effects of Air Pollution on Human Health

Parth Sarathi Mahapatra, a research analyst with the Atmosphere Initiative at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), says ...

26 Feb 2016 KSL
Access and Benefit Sharing Between Nepal and India

As part of transboundary cooperation within Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiatives (KSLCDI), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain ...

21 Jun 2018 Geospatial solutions
First comprehensive report on glacial lakes in the Hindu Kush Himalaya released

Experts refer to the different types of glacial lakes based on dam type and the process by which the lake ...

25 May 2016 News
Developing Nepal’s Hydropower Potential

Significant contributions in drafting and presenting ‘Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines (HP-EIA) of Nepal’ to the Government of Nepal (GoN) ...

10 Feb 2015 News
Myanmar to lead the way with ecotourism in protected areas

On 19–21 May 2015, the Government of Myanmar launched its ambitious Ecotourism Policy and Management Strategy for Protected Areas, developed ...