The Met Office on Wednesday forecast a dry weather in Karachi with foggy morning and night during next 24 hours. Minimum temperature was recorded 16.5 degree Celsius in the city, while maximum temperature likely to remain between 27 to 29-degree Celsius, weather department said. Humidity level in Karachi recorded 67 percent in the morning, the Met Office said. The metropolis was measured to have 199 reading of particulate matter on the air quality index and ranked 3rd most polluted city of the world today. Earlier, health experts described Karachi’s air quality as “very unhealthy” and advised citizens to use masks and restrict their outdoor activities especially during peak pollution hours. It is to be mentioned here that AQI as high as 151-200 is considered unhealthy, while an AQI reading between 201 to 300 is more harmful and AQI reading over 300 mark is extremely hazardous.

According to experts, the air becomes heavier in the winter, causing poisonous particles in the atmosphere to move downwards and making the atmosphere polluted. As a result, a layer of polluted particles, including large amounts of carbon and smoke, engulfs an area. The smoke produced by factories or by burning coal, garbage, oil or tyres, enters the atmosphere and its impact appears at the onset of the winter and remains till the end of the season, experts said. Although southwestern winds blowing from the sea in Karachi, work as a filter to refresh the air, these winds remain mostly suspended during the winter.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)