India, Nov. 11 -- The Decision Support System (DSS), the only source apportionment study currently available to identify sources contributing to Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution, has been failing to accurately forecast the impact of stubble burning in the Capital this season, officials have said.

In recent days, DSS forecasts projected that stubble burning could contribute over 30% to Delhi's PM 2.5 levels. However, actual contributions have remained below 10% on all days, based on fire counts recorded later in the day.

The DSS operates under the Ministry of Earth Sciences and is managed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune. Officials said that this year, the pattern of stubble burning has changed compared to previous ...