*Air services affected at Jammu Airport, Katra
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, June 15: A blanket of dust haze covered today whole Jammu region causing severe air pollution and disrupting flight operations at Jammu Airport and chopper service from Katra to Sanji Chhat.
Air quality and visibility levels were badly hit by the dust haze since this afternoon. An official of Jammu Airport said that due to poor visibility the planes could not take off from Jammu Airport after 1.30 PM to 5.30 PM.
He said earlier in the day two flights G8 287 and G8697 were diverted to Srinagar due to poor visibility while four flights including 2 IndiGo, 1 Spicejet and 1 Vistara were suspended for many hours and after 6 PM when visibility improved to some extent, all the flights were cleared except one IndiGo flight.
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Meanwhile, dust storm with heat wave made the life miserable for people in Jammu. Children and elders prone to this dust haze complained about respiratory problems. The chopper service for Vaishno Devi pilgrims from Katra to Sanji Chhat also remained suspended in view of dust storm which covered the whole Reasi district including holy town Katra.
According to an official of Metrological Department, this dust haze is a result of low moisture in the air following some very hot days. He said while the pollution is mainly attributed to stubble burning and lack of wind, the dust storm due to high wind speeds seems to have caused severe air pollution in Jammu region.
“The whole southwestern areas of India including Rajasthan are under the grip of this dust storm for last many days”, he said, adding, this blanket of dust which covered the whole Jammu region since this afternoon is the result of high wind speeds which have brought dust particles from southwestern states including Rajasthan.
“Today, the visibility was as low as 1.5 to 2 km in Jammu region”, he said, adding, however, following rains in the late evening, the situation improved and the dust moving in the air settled down. He also predicted thunderstorms and rains at isolated places over the region in the coming days.
“Children, the elderly and those who are ill, especially the ones facing respiratory issues, should take precautions and avoid going out in such conditions”, said Head, Department of Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, Dr Anil Mahajan.
Meanwhile, J&K State Disaster Management Authority said that in such circumstances when there is such a dust haze, people should avoid outdoor activities, especially outdoor sports that involve heavy breathing, and close all windows as well as doors that may allow dust storm to enter their home and offices. It further advised the public to drink more water, increase the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and wear a good quality anti-pollution and anti-dust mask, when going outdoors.
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