Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Nov 25: With the arrival of winter, the air quality in Srinagar has deteriorated due to smog that has engulfed the city, making mobility difficult due to low visibility.
Pollution levels began to rise a month ago, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Air Quality Index (AQI) increased from 40 on October 25th to 108 on Wednesday, limiting vision and making commuting difficult for locals.
The city’s air quality has deteriorated as the temperature has dropped in recent weeks, and experts predict that the trend will continue, with no break from the cold or foggy conditions until 2nd December.
“Precipitation is not expected until 2nd December, thus circumstances are not expected to improve until then. There will be no reprieve from the bitter cold and cloudy weather conditions. For the time being, they will continue”, Mukhtar Ahmad, Deputy Director MET Srinagar said.
The MET official said that the temperature would stay below zero, but not below minus 3 degrees Celsius. “The temperature will drop below that next month with the commencement of Chailai Kalan, a 40-day severe winter season,” he added.
He said that they have been continuously monitoring the data from the Central Pollution Board observatory at Rajbagh and the recent trend has been signaling a deterioration of the air quality in Srinagar, although it has been better than in other cities.
He argued that because the atmospheres remain stable throughout the winter, the suspended particles remain at a lower level, resulting in foggy conditions.
Chairman Pollution Control Committee, Rafi Bhat, said that the increase in the AQI levels was due to the cold as people use coal and firewood to beat the cold here. “Traditional heating appliances which run either on coal or firewood increase pollution level and that is the reason behind the higher AQI levels”, he said.
When asked about visibility and the formation of smog or fog, he said that pollution levels rise in the winter because cold temperatures prevent particulate matter produced by vehicles, industries, and other sources from escaping into the atmosphere. “There is no need to be concerned because the levels are far better than other cities,” he said.
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