Meteorologists explain causes of heavy smog in Astana

Tengrinews.kz – A thick layer of smog engulfed Kazakhstan’s capital today, significantly reducing visibility. Kazhydromet has provided an explanation for the phenomenon.

For the past few days, heavy smog has blanketed Astana, with the upper floors of high-rise buildings seemingly disappearing into the haze.

According to Kazhydromet, air quality monitoring from midnight to noon on February 10 recorded exceedances of permissible pollution levels at monitoring stations located on Akzhol, Turkestan, and Babatayuly streets.

For instance, at Station No. 8 on Babatayuly Street, 24 (Koktal-1 district), hydrogen sulfide levels were found to exceed the limit by 3.1 times on 15 different occasions.

Meteorologists attribute the worsening air quality to unfavorable weather conditions on February 10. Overnight, fog, frost, and rime ice were observed, while weak southerly and southeasterly winds, with gusts up to 3 m/s, contributed to the accumulation of pollutants in the city's atmosphere.