City cloaked in smog as sea breeze halts at winter’s start

A suspension of the sea breeze on Wednesday morning at the start of winter exposed Karachi’s vulnerability to atmospheric and environmental pollution when fog, coupled with smoke emitted from millions of vehicles, resulted in low visibility and breathing problems for citizens.

“The suspension of the sea breeze and the cold temperature of the earth were the cause of this smog as moisture in the air condensed very close to the ground and smoke emitted by vehicles and chimneys was trapped in it,” Met Office regional director Shahid Abbas told The News.

The sea breeze is cut off towards Karachi by the start or the mid of November and remains suspended till March due to temperature variations, while in December cold air from plains moves towards the sea and brings the cold weather to the coastal city, experts said.

“This smog is Karachi’s indigenous phenomenon and became evident due to the suspension of the sea breeze as smoke emitted in Karachi mingled with fog and mist and resulted in low visibility and irritation of nose, throat, lungs and eyes,” the Met official said and added that the smog was expected to remain for the next two days, after which it would be cleared by the winds.

After a couple of days, the weather in Karachi is expected to get a bit colder and the temperature is likely to drop three to four degrees Celsius in the morning under the influence of Siberian or Kandahari winds.

To a query, he said air quality had not worsened in Karachi in a day or two as carbon emissions had been a constant for the last many years, but in the absence of the sea breeze and due to the cold weather, air pollution became evident and caused inconvenience for the Karachiites.

On the other hand, health experts, including chest and eye specialists, asked the people to take precautionary measures to prevent themselves and their children from the environmental conditions as air containing suspended particles, smoke and high humidity could result in breathing problems, and irritation of throat, lungs and eyes.

“Thousands of people use motorbikes in Karachi to travel and this condition is very hazardous for their health. They should use masks and protective eye to prevent themselves from the smoke-filled air,” advised Dr Khurram Shahzad.

Other experts asked the people to take precautionary measures while venturing out of their homes, wash their eyes regularly with clean water to get rid of dust and other particulate matter and use masks to avoid breathing problems.