Fires Burn in India's Himalayan Mountains Causing Global Smog and Pollution

India (HDW) October 26, 2004 – Intentional fires set by people clearing land for agriculture within the nation of India are adding to the smog and haze within Asia. These fires were caught by a NASA satellite as it passed over the Indian sub-continent yesterday. Other factors that contribute to regional smoke, smog, and haze include urban pollution and natural dust storms, but the effect of intentional fires on this smoke can not be denied. As India’s population and economy grow, more fires and more pollution can be anticipated in the future.

In northwest India near the Indus River, irrigation supports agricultural production in the Punjab and Haryana provinces of the nation. In this image, numerous agricultural fires are burning in the region, and are marked with red dots. Smoke from the fires is probably contributing significantly to the regional haze seen in the image. The haze gets trapped at the base of the Himalaya Mountains (upper right). In some ways this is similar to the urban pollution of Los Angeles, California being caught between the mountains and the sea. It can be seen from the above picture that much of the haze and pollution common in western cities is also seen within the developing world.