In Jammu and Kashmir, pollution has turned even more dangerous than terrorism. This year, 242 people lost their lives due to terrorist attacks, on the other hand, pollution took away the lives of a whopping 10, 000 people. This claim has been made by the Director of Kashmir’s biggest hospital, Sher-e-Kashmir, Dr Parvez Kaul. Dr Kaul said that particulate matter (PM) 2.5 is the reason behind the annual deaths.
During winters, the air quality index (AQI) of Kashmir turns poor, and Srinagar’s AQI, in summers, is around 60, but this year, it turned to more than 150 from November onwards only. There are majorly four reasons behind the increasing pollution in the Kashmir valley. First, wood is burnt during winters, because in remote areas, proper facilities of electricity and gas are still not available. Second, there are around 20 lakh petrol and diesel vehicles in Kashmir, 24% houses have four-wheelers, and this average is the highest after Kerala.
Third, there are crores of fruit-laden trees here, including those of apples, almonds, and walnuts, and after the fruits are plucked, the leaves are burnt. Lastly, every year, 1, 246 tonnes of coal is burnt in Kashmir, which is 84% of the annual emissions.
