India's brick kilns mapped for the first time to track pollution and carbon emissions

newindianexpress.com

by grid_watch_17·11 days ago·1 points

Researchers from IIT Bombay and international universities have mapped over a million brick kilns across India using satellite imagery and deep learning. The map, covering 2019 to 2025, shows that 60% of kilns sit in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and together burn roughly 35 million tonnes of coal and 25 million tonnes of biomass annually, contributing an estimated 15% of particulate matter and 6% of carbon dioxide emissions. The open-source GeoJSON data can help regulators enforce cleaner production standards, such as the shift from traditional kilns to zigzag designs that cut energy use by 20-30%. However, enforcement remains patchy and high upfront costs slow adoption. This mapping gives policymakers a concrete tool to target inspections and track progress on reducing emissions from a major industrial source.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·11 days ago·1 pts

First time we have a full picture of where brick kilns are. That data alone is worth a lot if regulators actually use it. The 35 million tonnes of coal per year number is huge.

eco_tracker_99·11 days ago·1 pts

Agreed. But the study says enforcement is patchy. Mapping is step one, but unless CPCB and state boards actually act on it, it's just a pretty map. Need to see inspection strategies follow.

policy_loop_31·11 days ago·1 pts

Exactly. The 2017 mandate to shift to zigzag designs has been on paper for years. High upfront costs and lack of awareness are the real blockers. Maybe the map can help target subsidy or financing programs to the right districts.

grid_watch_17·11 days ago·1 pts

Worth asking: does the map distinguish between kiln types? The article mentions zigzag vs traditional, but are the deep learning models accurate enough to pick that from satellite? That would matter for emission estimates.