What's behind the foul smell in Karachi today?
Residents of Karachi, particularly those residing near the sea, woke up on Wednesday morning to a foul smell which some described as “fishy”. According to experts, decaying microscopic marine algae and current weather conditions are behind the pungent smell permeating the air. Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser on marine resources at World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P), said the…
Residents of Karachi awoke on Wednesday morning to a foul, fishy smell that permeated the air, according to experts. The source of the odor is decaying microscopic marine algae known as phytoplankton, a phenomenon that occurs naturally. Muhammad Moazzam Khan, a technical adviser on marine resources at WWF-Pakistan, explained that this typically happens when the regional monsoon system ends, causing significant changes in sea conditions.
Phytoplankton, which are found in the upper 100 meters of the sea and cannot be seen by the naked eye, begin to decay after the monsoon ends. This event occurred in 2024 as well, and is expected to cause the smell to dissipate within a few days. The Pakistan Meteorological Department and climate change expert Fatima Yamin also contributed to the foul smell, attributing it to a low-pressure area off the coast of India's Jamnagar and the resulting smog, which has been circulating throughout the city.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
