Bad air chokes state capital again, touches dangerous levels
LUCKNOW: After two days of respite, Lucknowites woke up to another cloud of polluted air that went from bad to worse during the day, only to become slightly better in the evening, but yet much beyond the permissible limit.
At 1 pm on Monday afternoon the fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) – the nasty air pollutant – touched a new high of 695.97 micrograms per cubic metre air (the permissible limit is 60 micrograms per cubic metre air).
PM 2.5 is measured in micrograms per cubic metre and refers to atmospheric particulate matter which has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres that is about 3% the diameter of a human hair.
That is why it is considered harmful for humans as it causes damage to organs in the body. Concerned over the rising air pollution, the Indian Medical Association (Lucknow) has decided to conduct a school education programme on Tuesday titled ‘My rig ht to breathe, stop air pollution’, specially focusing on children.
“It is an alarming situation and we need to focus on controlling air pollution,” said Dr PK Gupta, president IMA, Lucknow.
Doctors have advised children and the elderly to stay away from morning winds and morning walkers to take precaution before stepping out.
“Delay morning walks as per your comfort. This will help avoid chilly wind and also keep you fit as you are not skipping morning walk,” said Dr Sandeep Kapoor, director, Health city Hospital.
Dr Adarsh Kumar said those having breathing problem should cover their mouth and nose when going outside as this will keep air pollutants at bay. “A good option is steam inhalation when you return from a polluted area. It is similar to wiping out dust from your house after a dust storm,” said Prof Surya Kant, HoD pulmonary medicine, KGMU.
Former scientist of CDRI PK Srivastava said the reason behind such high level of pollution is moisture in the air and lack of sunlight. “The situation is alarming. You can see dust and carbon particles on leaves of trees on the roadside,” he said. Srivastava suggested installation of fountains at public places as they would help dust particles settle down and save people from inhaling them. He also said eating jaggery can help clean lungs, as has been scientifically proven.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board, Lucknow came in severe category of air pollution. The state capital has over 19 lakh vehicles registered, one of the key reasons for air pollution.
NEWDELHI: The level of pollution in New Delhi worsened on Monday as the Supreme Court observed that it was an emergency-like situation and asked the Centre as well as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi governments to respond on a petition on stubble burning and dust pollution that experts say contribute to the bad air quality.
A US embassy measure showed levels of poisonous airborne particles known as PM 2.5, had reached 498 on Monday afternoon, compared with the upper limit of “good” quality air at 50, and government officials struggled to tackle a public health crisis that is well into its second week. The IMD said rain was forecast over the next three days which could help clear the smog.
“Light rainfall is likely in states surrounding Delhi and in Delhi over the next three days,
and this could result in a change in wind pattern in the region,” Charan Singh, a scientist at IMD, told Reuters. “Smog will start to abate starting tomorrow (Tuesday).”
But Skymet, India’s only private weather forecaster, said
dense smog would continue over Delhi and the surrounding area for at least the next two days.
The Supreme Court is due to hear a petition filed by a New Delhi lawyer to direct government authorities to tackle the “intolerable and unbearable air
pollution”. The Delhi government declared a public health emergency last week after pollution levels spiked, a yearly phenomenon blamed on a combination of illegal crop burning in northern states, vehicle exhaust and dust.