File:Haze in northern India (MODIS 2016-12-09).jpg

English: A gray haze hung over much of northern India in early December 2016 as fires burned in the mountains surrounding the Kashmir Valley. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on December 5.

The bowl-like basin of the Kashmir Valley is filled with a gray haze, as are mountain valleys in the Pir Panjal Mountains and parts of the southern Himalayas. The haze also covers the plains south of the Himalayans. In addition, clusters of red hot spots can be seen in the mountains near the north and the south ends of the Kashmir Valley. Such hot spots mark areas where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected temperatures higher than background. When combined with smoke, as in this image, such hotspots are diagnostic for actively burning fire.

Northern India and the Kashmir Valley often suffer from haze created by man-made pollution. Sources of the pollution include charcoal fires (especially in the cooler months), industrial output, and automobile exhaust. In this case, while man-made pollution may play a role, the wildfire smoke makes a significant contribution to the haze.

According to an article published in the Indian Express on December 7, massive fires have spread through several hectares of forest land in the dense deodar and chilgoza forests especially in the Kinnaur district. The fires have “completely covered the sky” and making it difficult for people to breathe in several towns, including Purbani and Ribba. The fires are blamed on a severe dry spell in the region, and many have been burning for several weeks.