Cases of respiratory illness on rise as air quality goes down
8 Nov 2014 4:58 AM IST
According to doctors, a spike in respiratory illness, more so for asthama patients, is very common during this time of the year. The most vulnerable are infants, school going children and senior citizens.
Anumita Roychowdhury, a member of the Delhi Center for Science and Environment, said the air pollution levels in different cities of India are rising. ‘More than half of Indian cities today are classified as critically polluted cities even by the government,’ Roychowdhury said. People living in areas with the highest level of pollutants face serious health issues such as heart attack and lung cancer, warned experts.
Last month, the US Embassy in Delhi, which has recently established an air quality monitoring programme with on-site measuring instrument, said ‘the air quality index value 260 falls in the category of ‘very unhealthy’. The 260 AQI is a measure based on the amount of fine particles in the air, a standard recognised by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Air Quality Index value, calculated on the basis of PM 2.5 level, touched a high of 293 on Thursday which implies that the air quality is very unhealthy.
A day after Diwali also, the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), which directly affects breathing, was at 531 mg per cubic metre in Delhi, more than five times higher than the normal level, leaving many at risk of respiratory problems.
The Delhi government has also tried to control the deteriorating air quality in the city. It has encouraged government departments to overhaul its policies on air pollution. Delhi environment department had spent several crores on anti-crackers campaigns. In 2001, the government introduced CNG (compressed natural gas)to be used in public transport vehicles. The measure worked out well for a few years. But it remains difficult to give a satisfactory assessment of air quality in the capital.
A new study by the World Health Organization suggested that India is home to the most polluted cities in the world. New Delhi has the world’s highest annual average concentration of small airborne particles, the study showed. An official of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee also said both particulate and non-particulate matters have gone up in the air in the last few days due to variety of reasons.
Anumita Roychowdhury, a member of the Delhi Center for Science and Environment, said the air pollution levels in different cities of India are rising. ‘More than half of Indian cities today are classified as critically polluted cities even by the government,’ Roychowdhury said. People living in areas with the highest level of pollutants face serious health issues such as heart attack and lung cancer, warned experts.
Last month, the US Embassy in Delhi, which has recently established an air quality monitoring programme with on-site measuring instrument, said ‘the air quality index value 260 falls in the category of ‘very unhealthy’. The 260 AQI is a measure based on the amount of fine particles in the air, a standard recognised by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Air Quality Index value, calculated on the basis of PM 2.5 level, touched a high of 293 on Thursday which implies that the air quality is very unhealthy.
A day after Diwali also, the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), which directly affects breathing, was at 531 mg per cubic metre in Delhi, more than five times higher than the normal level, leaving many at risk of respiratory problems.
The Delhi government has also tried to control the deteriorating air quality in the city. It has encouraged government departments to overhaul its policies on air pollution. Delhi environment department had spent several crores on anti-crackers campaigns. In 2001, the government introduced CNG (compressed natural gas)to be used in public transport vehicles. The measure worked out well for a few years. But it remains difficult to give a satisfactory assessment of air quality in the capital.
A new study by the World Health Organization suggested that India is home to the most polluted cities in the world. New Delhi has the world’s highest annual average concentration of small airborne particles, the study showed. An official of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee also said both particulate and non-particulate matters have gone up in the air in the last few days due to variety of reasons.
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