Hazy Days Are Here Again

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Hazy days are here again. One can be alarmed at the deterioration of daytime and at night visibility. A cloud of dirty haze is hanging over the entire coastal Goa with high concentration of pollutants around the cities. This is bad news for the unsuspecting citizens and tourists. The haze is bad for health because it causes the deterioration of air quality in human breathing zone. The only way it can get cleared is to expect some unseasonal showers, which would bring down the pollutants. The haze is formed due to anthropogenic activities detrimental to the air quality. These may include combustion of fossil fuels, industrial pollution without emission controls, open air incineration of solid waste, plastics, rubber, excavation of hills, clearance of forests or green belts which cause loosening of dry top soil, incineration of agrowaste, grassland fires and any other activity which may propel minute particulate matter in the turbulent boundary of the atmosphere. The dust blowing across the Arabian Sea from the deserts of Iran is not the cause for this haze although it is quiet alarming. The particulate matter of microscopic size does not easily settle back on earth if wind and thermal regime is not favourable. Unfortunately Goa is also experiencing an unusually warm winter. Partly this may be attributed to local impact of global warming and climate change but the time series of meteorological data is too small to predict any trend. Actually local effects decoupled from global warming may be responsible because Goa has lost its’ natural heat sinks-the vegetation cover in coastal and midland areas. Besides cooling the air the vegetation used to trap atmospheric pollutants and acted as a dust shield. With barren, denuded hillsides, loss of surface waterbodies, wetlands and an urbanized countryside the local thermal budget has drastically changed. This affects the local microenvironment.

Record average daily maximum temperatures were noted during October and November. December may follow the same trend unless cold air blows down here from northern plains. The differential between maximum and minimum daily temperature is increasing. This may lead to a phenomenon called thermal inversion which causes cold air to settle close to the ground. The cold air traps the microscopic air pollutants. These small particles scatter the light and give an appearance of dirty grayish to bluish haze. This effect can be seen from Panaji’s Altinho and the Bambolim-Dona Paula plateau.

Prolonged appearance of haze would lead to a phenomenal rise in the infections of respiratory tract. Viral and bacterial infections would have a field day. Children, senior citizens and asthmatic patients would be vulnerable. There would be spurt in the sale of lozenges and cough syrups. Bad air quality irritates the lungs. It makes normal breathing difficult as the body fights against the entry of the air pollutants. The most dangerous is the fraction ranging between two to ten microns. This type of ultrafine particulate matter has been cited as main cause of lung cancer.

Goa has the rising problem of carbon soot particles. Emission norms in European countries have been changed to reduce this fraction in all man made emissions. But we are helpless in Goa. The meteorological conditions are not favourable to settle down or with high reverse winds blow away the pollutants. Conditions would be much better in elevated and hilly areas. Thickly vegetated areas would also escape the ill impacts of the haze. But in low lying areas, in the valleys and on coastal plains life would be affected. Respiratory distress causes discomfort, lethargy and affects human work place productivity. Bad air quality can be prevented if people control the vehicular emissions and stop burning any type of waste on open ground.

Farmers need to be educated and trained to compost their agrowaste instead of burning it. Burning of plastics and rubber has to be prevented. Wild fires in countryside have become common in winter. These discharge heavy polluting aerosol. Timely removal of maturing grasses and weeds would curtail the fires. Re-vegetation of exposed hills would bind the loose topsoil. Industries need to strictly comply with the air emission norms. The problem of deteriorating air quality during winter is getting serious in Goa. This can be verified from the ascending morbidity profile of the population affected due to respiratory disorders. Access to clean air is basic human right-but we have been gifted with the haze. Protect the vulnerable persons in your family especially the infants and children against this environmental calamity.