Tashkent and other regions of Uzbekistan were covered in a dusty haze on the afternoon of September 11. Air quality was harmful for several hours in the capital, but began to improve in the evening. Uzhydromet commented on the situation. Cool and relatively humid air masses reached the northwestern regions of Uzbekistan, and moved across the rest of the country during the day of September 11. The passage of the western invasion front through most regions caused the wind to increase to 13-17 m/s in some places, and up to 20 m/s in the south and desert zone. The wind was accompanied by dusty drifting snow, with visibility deteriorating to 500-2,000 meters, in Khorezm, Bukhara, Navoi, Jizzakh, Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions. The clouds approached the western regions of Tashkent in the afternoon. The wind increased to 10-12 m/s from 3:05 pm to 4 pm. The wind raised dust particles from the dry surface of the earth, which caused clouding of the air and deterioration of visibility to 1,400 meters. The content of fine PM10 particles in the atmospheric air of Tashkent at that time was 1,322 µg/m3, which is 2.4 times higher than the maximum permissible value established by the World Health Organization; and PM2.5 particles, which is 219 µg/m3, or 43 times higher than the permissible level. The dusty haze in Tashkent will continue until the morning, Uzhydromet noted.
Source: Central Asian News Service