Care for Clean Air, Healthy Environment
Thick layers of smoke triggered by mustard harvest stubble burning engulfed the atmosphere in south Kashmir recently.
Such was the intensity of smoke that it draped even the busy Srinagar-Anantnag road, hampering smooth vehicular movement and posing risk of accidents.
Surrounded by mountains, Kashmir valley has been facing an onslaught of air pollution for the last few decades. A matter of concern, air pollution is taking a toll on the health of people. Studies have established that rising air pollution levels are one of the major causes of rising cases of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Stubble burning releases harmful greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide in high volumes. Stubble burning over the years has spelt doom in the national capital Delhi. We should have learnt lessons from the Delhi situation and come up with alternatives like mulcher, bil-enzyming, and composting to prevent stubble burning. The farmers can be incentivised to motivate them to dispose of stubble in an eco-friendly way.
Besides stubble burning, there are other factors responsible for air pollution in Kashmir. The problem is compounded by the increasing number of pollution from vehicles, brick kilns, cement plants, and dusty roads.
We have to understand that Kashmir is bound by Pir Panjal and Greater Himalayan mountain ranges, these mountains lock the valley and prevent air masses from escaping, resulting in a rise in air pollutants.
Temperature inversion in Autumn and winter restricts vertical mixing of air and triggers build-up of haze primarily comprising dust PM10 and PM2.5 and smoke mostly black carbon. The PM2.5 concentration in Srinagar’s air on January 9, 2023 reached 28.2 µg/m³, which is 5.6 times over the World Health Organisation’s air quality values.
A byproduct of temperature inversions in Kashmir is a build-up of haze—an aerosol mixture composed of fine particles found in smog, smoke, and dust. The trapped aerosols absorb and scatter incoming sunlight, creating a layer of poor visibility. Srinagar is the largest contributor of smog, smoke, and other human-caused aerosols in Kashmir.
Rising air pollution levels even caught the attention of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), America’s civil space programme and it released a satellite picture of Kashmir Valley shrouded by haze in 2022. Experts have been attributing prevalence of haze and smog to crop burning and temperature inversion phenomenon.
What is alarming is that traces of Black Carbon (BC), a component of particulate matter (PM) in air, have been found in glaciers of Kashmir. Most of the glaciers in Kashmir are retreating fast due to rising temperatures and pollution levels. Studies reveal that Kashmir has three times more black carbon in the atmosphere than neighbouring states. Kolahoi, the largest glacier of Kashmir valley’s Jhelum Basin, besides Thajiwas, Hoksar, Nehnar, Shishram, and Harmukh are retreating rapidly due to spurt rise in temperature triggered by global warming and extreme pollution.
The Kolahoi glacier is the main source of water for river Jhelum, which is considered to be the lifeline of Kashmir. Rapid melting of Kolhai has led to decrease in Jhelum’s water.
Kolahoi Glacier has lost almost 23 percent of its area since 1962 and has fragmented into smaller parts. Studies have revealed that Kolahoi Glacier, based on the last 10 years’ observation, is losing mass at the rate of about 1.0 m water equivalent annually, which is significantly higher than the glaciers in the rest of the Himalayas.
Health experts have been raising alarm over deteriorating air quality especially in Kashmir. As per a comprehensive study in Lancet, around 10, 000 deaths in J&K annually upto 2019 are attributed to air pollution.
Black carbon has even polluted the pristine environs of world famous ski resort Gulmarg in north Kashmir. As per a study ‘Black carbon in contrasting environments in India: Temporal variability’, air quality is deteriorating fast in Gulmarg due to increased human, mechanical interventions and movement of diesel run vehicles.
Rising air pollution level in catchment areas of Dachigam National Park is posing risk to wild animals especially critically endangered Hangul.
Kashmir is witnessing massive ill-effects of climate change. It must be set alarm bells ringing that Kashmir’s higher reaches received snowfall in peak summer season. We are witnessing erratic weather fluctuations, heavy rains and hailstorms. What more indicators we need to understand the damage we have done to our fragile environment. Instead of mitigation measures, we are adding to the climate change phenomenon by contributing to air pollution.
We are caught between the devil and the deep sea! For some days we have drought-like situations and for other days we have flood-like situations. And we are too responsible for erratic weather. We have severely disturbed the eco-system in the name of so-called development, creating our physical assets. Who vandalised water bodies, mountains, forests and wetlands? Not aliens but humans! It is we who are responsible for vandalising our natural resources and it is we who have to wake up and take remedial measures.
Damage done to our fragile environment so far is irreparable. Least we can do is to prevent further damage. We owe this planet to new generations. We have to pass the baton of environment like our ancestors did.
Author is Executive Editor,
Greater Kashmir
