New Delhi. There is severe heat wave throughout North India at this time. The temperature in Delhi and NCR has crossed 46 degrees Celsius, but amidst this deadly heat, another surprising problem has come to light.
Generally we believe that pollution is only a problem of winter, when the sky becomes hazy in October-November and there is panic as AQI increases. As soon as summer comes, we feel that “everything is safe now”, but the reality is that summer pollution is not visible to the eyes like winter smog.
In view of this deteriorating air condition, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has implemented the first phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAPE) two days ago in the midst of this scorching heat.
The science of summer pollution: Why is it increasing?
There is a big difference between winter and summer pollution. The biggest factor of pollution in summer is PM 10 (Particulate Matter 10) and its main source is dust. There are two main reasons behind this:-
1. Tornado arising from Thar Desert: Thar Desert is in North-West India. When this area gets extremely hot in summer, a “thermal low pressure system” is formed, which extends to Iran. According to the rules of science, to fill this empty space, strong western winds blow, which we call “Loo”. These winds, which blow at a speed of 40 to 60 km per hour, do not come empty, but bring with them heavy dust from the desert and Western Asia. The geographical structure of North India is such that this dust gets trapped between the Himalayas in the north and the peninsular plateau in the south. Till the arrival of monsoon, this dust keeps circulating in the air and increases the level of PM 10.
2. Local causes and threat of ground-level ozone: Locally, broken roads, abandoned construction sites and dry land without grass further aggravate this problem. The hot sun dries the soil and loosens it, and the heat waves blow it into the air.
Additionally, summer produces another dangerous pollutant that is not talked about, “ground level ozone.” It is not the good ozone in the stratosphere that protects us from ultraviolet rays. Rather, it is formed by a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds near the ground due to strong sunlight and heat.
Effect on health: Cough and allergy in every household
This dangerous ozone and dust particles floating in the air cause huge damage to the lung tissues. This is why many people around us are suffering from sinus, allergy, stomach ache, persistent cough and eye irritation.
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