Two waste sites in India among top methane emitters globally, says report

New Delhi, Two Indian waste facilities - one each in Telangana, Maharashtra - are among the top 25 such sites, which have been identified as the largest emitters of methane globally, according to a new report.

Methane is one of the main drivers of climate change, responsible for 30 per cent of the warming since preindustrial times, second only to carbon dioxide.

The report, 'Spotlight on the Top 25 Methane Plumes in 2025: Landfills', was released by the University of California (UCLA) on Tuesday.


It looked at data gathered by Planet Labs' Tanager-1 satellite and NASA's EMIT instrument on the International Space Station in 2025.

According to the analysis, the waste facility in Telangana's Secunderabad emits 5.9 tonnes of methane per hour, while the site in Maharashtra's Mumbai emits 4.9 tonnes of methane per hour.

While the Telangana facility ranks fourth on the list, the Maharashtra one is at 12th position.

The list is topped by a waste facility in Argentina, which emits 7.6 tonnes of methane per hour.

In a statement, Cara Horowitz, executive director of the UCLA Emmett Institute, said, "We are talking about seriously dangerous levels of methane coming from the waste sector in a wide variety of countries. Many of these sites sit close to cities, and their emissions pose real risks to public health."