Srinagar, Nov. 28 -- As winter tightens its grip on Kashmir, a familiar practice in the Valley's orchards is turning into a public health emergency. The annual burning of pruned branches and leaves to produce charcoal for kangris has filled large parts of Kashmir with thick, lingering smoke, triggering a surge in respiratory distress.

Heavy grey smoke hangs low over neighbourhoods, slipping into homes and settling in the lungs of those already struggling to breathe. What orchardists consider an essential winter routine has become a major seasonal pollutant.

For people like Mohammad Akbar Ganaie, a COPD patient from Shopian, each day has become a battle for breath. "My chest feels tight whenever the smoke enters my home," he said.

"Thes...