Air pollution is rising
Air pollution though unheard of in a place like Kashmir few decades back is a harsh reality. Presently, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Srinagar, the capital city of the UT is put around 130 which qualifies it as ‘unhealthy’.
Ironically, the slide in air quality this winter is once again attributed to same old factors that have been on top of the blame list for many years now. The prime one being the dry weather conditions that have now become a routine phenomenon.
With fewer showers, dust and pollutants don’t get washed out, so they hang in the valley for longer durations causing the air to get polluted. Secondly, the increase in the number of vehicles and other machines that also has become a reason for higher emissions of poisonous gases.
Winters in Kashmir have taken a different pattern and as the people experience colder conditions so do their habits change to adapt to the new situations. Kashmir has seen an overuse of coal bukharis, firewood and even burning of waste (plastic, biomass) which people resort to gain warmth and as such the release fine particles in air also contributes to the higher air pollution levels.
Other than the local factors the overall temperature inversion in the region is also making things worse. Due to temperature inversion cold, dense air settles near the ground while a warm layer sits above, trapping pollutants instead of letting them rise and make the air free from pollution.
Since our weather system is deeply impacted by the western disturbances, a weak weather disturbance fails to bring enough rain or wind to flush the valley’s air, making things worse for the region’s residents.
Paradoxically, the level of air pollution in developing countries is rising alarmingly and India too is witnessing the same phenomenon and the quality of air in major cities is proving to be a major concern.
Air pollution levels in India are a significant concern, with many cities experiencing poor air quality. The current AQI in India is around 130, falling into the ‘poor’ category. This is based on real-time data, with PM2.5 levels at 52 µg/m³ and PM10 levels at 104 µg/m³.
The country’s capital city of Delhi is considered as one of the most polluted cities, with an AQI of 152, primarily due to PM2.5 pollutants. Mumbai too with an AQI of 161 is also experiencing poor air quality and Kolkata’s AQI is rated at 181, clearly pointing towards the unhealthy air quality.
Interestingly, the government seems to be taking serious steps in this regard and the Greenhouse Gases Emission Intensity Target Rules, 2025 have finally been notified setting India’s first legally binding emission reduction targets for carbon-heavy industries.
The notification, issued by the environment ministry few weeks back after considering all suggestions and objections requires industrial units across the aluminium, cement, pulp and paper and chlor-alkali sectors to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions per unit of output (emission intensity) from the 2023-24 baseline levels.
According to the notification, each facility must reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted per unit of output (measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per tonne of product) compared to a 2023-24 baseline. The compliance period begins in 2025-26 and continues through 2026-27.
Now that these measures have been put in place, the local administration needs to redouble their efforts to implement these measures as the weather patterns cannot be altered and hence leave us with no other choice than to resort to measures that can be ensured.
