Charcoal-burning tradition leaves COPD patients gasping in smoke

Srinagar, Nov 16: Every November, as Kashmir’s orchards smolder to make winter charcoal, the Valley’s air thickens, and the most fragile lungs of people begin to falter.

A centuries-old practice meant to keep homes warm is now choking Kashmir’s cold-season air, leaving Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients gasping and doctors warning of a preventable winter health crisis.

In south Kashmir’s fruit-growing belt, hundreds of patients suffering from COPD are struggling to breathe as farmers begin their annual practice of burning pruned leaves and twigs to produce charcoal for winter.

Thick plumes of smoke rise from the orchards across Shopian, Pulwama, and Kulgam districts, enveloping towns and villages in a grey haze.

The seasonal practice, intended to prepare charcoal to combat biting cold during harsh winter months, has become a major source of pollution, worsening air quality, and leaving vulnerable patients gasping for air.

“I am struggling to breathe due to the thick smoke entering my house,” said Muhammad Yousuf Mir, a COPD patient from Shopian. “For the last two weeks, it has become unbearable. I am planning to move to Jammu for a few months until the air gets cleaner.”

Mir’s situation reflects the growing distress among patients with respiratory illnesses.

COPD, a chronic inflammatory disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs, worsens with exposure to smoke and fine particulate matter.

Doctors say the onset of winter, combined with widespread biomass burning, pushes many patients into acute distress.

“In winter, we see a sharp rise in the number of COPD patients visiting hospitals,” said Dr Arshad Hussain Sofi, pulmonologist at Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag. “Worsening air quality due to the burning of biomass is one of the main triggers. The smoke aggravates the problem.”

Locals say the problem intensifies in the evenings when the smoke settles low to the ground.

“Even stepping out feels suffocating,” said Haleema Begum, a 58-year-old COPD patient from Kulgam. “I can’t sleep at night because my chest feels heavy. We keep our windows shut, but the smoke still finds its way in.”

For many families, it’s a recurring nightmare.

“My father has to use an oxygen concentrator almost throughout the day,” said another patient from Shopian. “The smoke from nearby orchards makes it impossible for him to even sit outside.”

Winter Burst of Pristine Kashmir Valley Air, a 2018 study conducted by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in collaboration with the University of Kashmir, found that Srinagar’s air pollution reaches hazardous levels during the winter months.

The study showed that the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the city’s air was nearly five times above the safe limit.

It identified domestic coal burning as the main source of pollution, contributing about 84 percent of total annual emissions, while vehicular pollution accounted for roughly 220.5 tonnes per year.

Doctors and environmental experts warn that the combination of domestic heating, vehicular emissions, and large-scale burning of biomass is turning Kashmir’s winter air into a health hazard.

“People need awareness and alternatives. Otherwise, every winter will continue to be a season of suffering for respiratory patients,” said another pulmonologist.

Associate Professor at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Tariq Rasool, suggested integrating sheep grazing in orchards, saying that sheep eat fallen leaves and enrich the soil through their droppings.

He also recommended composting the leaves into organic manure by spraying urea to speed up decomposition, an eco-friendly alternative to burning that authorities have long encouraged.