The Hindu : New Delhi News : JNU to study smog

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 07, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

JNU to study smog

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Government’s Department of Environment has awarded a study to the School of Environmental Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University here on the reasons for formation of smog, its characteristics and management. The study will cover pollution levels, temperature, humidity and wind speed and direction in all the four seasons and submit its report within a year.

The study assumes significance as Delhi experiences heavy fog every winter that throws life out of gear by disrupting air, rail and road traffic. This year, too, the phenomenon of mist, haze or smog has begun and the city has for the past five days been experiencing them during the morning hours.

The Delhi Meteorological Department at Safdarjung Airport said this type of weather condition was not uncommon during November. The weatherman said when low level inversion takes place and there are light winds, it generally leads to this condition. Whenever such low-level inversion (stable atmosphere) occurs, pollutants, especially solid particulate matter (smoke and dust particles generated by vehicular traffic, industrial and construction activity), remain suspended in the lower atmosphere. As the winds are also light, the particulate matter suspended in the atmosphere is neither mixed nor dispersed away.

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