At first, I had no idea about what was going on. I just woke up that day to smell smoke in my room. I looked out from my window and found the atmosphere full of haze. The visibility was so low that I couldn't even see the neighbouring condominium clearly. Then, memories that dated back to 1997 flashed my mind. It was the time when Maldives was affected by the "brown cloud". The Indonesian forest fires that caused thick clouds of smoke which reduced the visibility across the region. With that in mind, I began my day.
Later that day, I came to know that this year too it was the forest fires that caused the haze. The fire is said to be setup by the plantation owners to clear the lands. Too bad, whoever did it had no idea about the level of pollution that would cause. I've seen several people wearing masks on the road.. the pollution was that bad!
Above is a picture of the neighbouring golf course I had shot few months back.
Now, compare it with this picture above which I shot recently. Haze! Aarghh!
This is the private housing area nearby. Clear sky with good visibility, eh? Just hold your breathe and compare it with the picture below...
See, how badly the haze affected the visibility!
Later that day, I came to know that this year too it was the forest fires that caused the haze. The fire is said to be setup by the plantation owners to clear the lands. Too bad, whoever did it had no idea about the level of pollution that would cause. I've seen several people wearing masks on the road.. the pollution was that bad!
Above is a picture of the neighbouring golf course I had shot few months back.Now, compare it with this picture above which I shot recently. Haze! Aarghh!This is the private housing area nearby. Clear sky with good visibility, eh? Just hold your breathe and compare it with the picture below...See, how badly the haze affected the visibility!In the end, I ended up buying an air freshener to scent my room, to get rid of the smoke smell. But I'm glad, the pollution is getting better now.
