ISLAMABAD: Pollen is likely to start in the first week of March in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and expected to attain peak during the second fortnight of March, with the season expected to end by mid-April.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) monitors the airborne pollen in Islamabad throughout the year.
Pollen monitoring unit of PMD has installed pollen monitoring devices in different sectors of Islamabad (H-8, E-8, F-10 and G-6), an official of Met office told APP. The pollen concentration increases gradually with the onset of the spring season and attains its peak around full blossom.
Rainy spell during the first week of March may delay the onset of pollen season in twin cities, he said.
The most abundant pollen types in the federal capital are from eight plant species (i. e. Paper Mulberry, Acacia, Eucalyptus, Pines, Grasses, Cannabis, Dandelion and Alternaria). Out of all these plants, Paper Mulberry shares about 97 per cent of the total pollen and its concentration touches the extreme limits of about 40,000 per cubic meter of air at the peak of the blossom season.
People suffering from asthma and respiratory diseases experience serious consequences due to a sharp increase in pollen concentrations.
