Aafrin Kidwai 
Representational photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash
The burning of plastic waste is primarily responsible for haze and fog formation in northern India, including the national capital Delhi, according to a study led by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). The study has been published in the international journal Nature Geoscience.
Many studies in the past have identified PM2.5 (particulate matter or aerosol particles with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometers) as a major pollutant, responsible for haze and fog formation over the Indo-Gangetic plain including Delhi. However, the role of PM2.5 and the detailed chemistry of haze and fog formation over national capital was poorly understood.
The study explains that complex chemical reactions involving Hydrochloric Acid (HCl), which is directly emitted in the atmosphere from the burning of plastic waste and from a few industrial processes, is primarily responsible for high PM2.5 chloride and the subsequent haze and fog formation over Delhi during cold winter nights.
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