Delhi effect triggers haze

Hyderabad: The city on Wednesday morning woke up to a hazy skyline. This, experts say is courtesy of the rising pollution levels, coupled with the lack of strong winds and sunlight.

As it turns out the visibility in the city was brought down to five kilometres, whereas the city usually has a visibility range of 10 kilometres.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Dr K.J. Ramesh, former director general of the Indian meteorological department, said: “There are several contributors to the lack of visibility in Hyderabad. The haze is generally pollution that comes from within urban agglomerations. Since the pollutants are heavy, it is difficult for them to dissipate.” He also said that this phenomenon is common for this time of the year, when the climate cools down.

However, environmentalists suggest that the rise in the pollution levels is due to the lack of proper public transportation in the city. “Ever since the RTC strike began, people of the city have brought out their own cars and vehicles to travel. The bus network transports close to 30 lakh people, and when this transport system went off the roads, residents of the city were left with no option,” said C Ram-chandraiah, of CESS.

In contrast to these opinions, meteorologists from Skymet suggested that the hazy environment in the city is primarily due to the pollution in the national capital. “The fumes that were emanating from Delhi, have travelled towards the southern region, on the northwesterly winds. This pollution has now settled over Hyderabad,” said Mahesh M. Palawat, chief meteorologist, Skymet (a private weather-forecasting agency).

Now, officials of IMD say that it is only sunshine and strong wind flow which can dissuade the haze from settling in the city. “Only if there are strong winds will the pollution levels in the city come down by weaning the pollutants away from it.

Until that time, this kind of hazy atmosphere was most likely to continue,” said Ramesh.