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In Indian cities across the plains, the blinding fog produces traffic snarls and, elsewhere,
super fast trains slow down as the billowing fog hugs railway tracks.
Dozens of flights and trains are either being delayed or cancelled due to low visibility.
Air services to or from airports in Northern India are severely affected, and most flights have had to be
rescheduled due to heavy fog early in the morning. Hundreds of passengers are stranded at both the domestic and international airports.
The fog might be delaying countless appointments, pushing up the nation’s fuel bills and denying vital sunlight to winter crops. But it has also emerged as the most significant perceived weather change during winters across northern India in recent times. With the fog persisting longer than before, scientists are scrambling to seek out clues to decipher this trend. But the answers that tumble out might be hard to
digest. Weather scientists have been puzzled by the sharply growing number of days that dawn with dense fog during winter months in northern India in recent years.
While pollution has long been blamed for the fog, there are now concerns that other human activities may also have had a hand in northern India’s ongoing winter fog woes. Specifically, India’s insatiable hunger for rice, and intensive campaigns to ‘green’ pockets of northern India may also be key factors contributing to the growth and persistence of fog. Agricultural and meteorological scientists say that the decades-old changes in cultivation and irrigation patterns in northern India as well as efforts to plant trees and boost forest cover in the region may be hitherto
unrecognized causes of the recent behavior of fog.
A sudden fog over Delhi and NCR on March 10, 2008 stumped most people, environmentalists and meteorological experts said this was possibly the outcome of extremely high levels of pollution. The fog, they explained, was formed when moisture in the air reacted with particulate matter, a problem that specially plagues the northern region.
Officials from Power Grid Corporation Ltd (PGCL) who were caught unawares when the
unprecedented fog over parts of North India sent transmission lines on a tripping spree
blamed the high pollution levels in these areas. A major reason for concern are the large number of brick kilns that are operating in all of NCR. "Instead of using coal, several of the kiln owners are burning old
footware, tyres, plastic ware and oil for fuel since it is cheaper. The sticky deposits from this are collecting on the wires and causing the tripping," said R G Yadav, executive director (operation
services) PGCL.
Other than the deposits, the burning of plastic and rubber also adds in a big way to carcinogenic emissions. Diesel vehicles, diesel run generators and massive construction activity in Delhi, Gurgaon and parts of Uttar Pradesh have also added huge quantities of particulate matter and dust in the air. Even as the levels for PM10 and PM2.5 are highly lax compared to what they are in other
countries, their levels are still about five times higher than what they should be.
Industrial and traffic emission containing tiny particles are one long-known factor. Water
vapor in the atmosphere condenses on these tiny particles to produce fog. But extensive irrigation has pumped extra moisture into the atmosphere.
Increasing vegetation and forest cover might also add moisture to the atmosphere that could end up as fog in the winter season.
Because high moisture content and low temperatures are necessary for the formation of fog.
Scientists say that the growth in relative humidity could mean that fogs would persist in the years to come.
Fog aggravates asthma: Due to fog, asthma does aggravate to some extent induced by the cold. It mainly happens due to the particulate matter in smog which triggers asthma in individuals allergic to it.
Doctors say that not all the asthmatics are aware that environment plays a big role in worsening the disease, and thus fog and mist becomes one of the reasons.
FOG FACTS
From 1985 to 2005, fog level has gone up by 60% According to experts, heavy fog at this time is due to a combination of humidity and various pollutants, mainly particulate matter Delhi and Gurgaon face a huge problem with their particulate matter count, that is way higher than the prescribed limits. This is due to large scale consumption of diesel by vehicles and generator sets Other areas have a problem due to industrialisation, construction and illegal burning of plastic and rubber.
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