‘Proper ventilation must in every kitchen’
There should be proper ventilation in kitchen with exhaust fans and chimneys to minimise indoor air pollution and cooking on gas stoves should be avoided, said a retired respiratory disease expert.
Addressing the opening season of “Airothan”, an international summit on indoor air pollution and air quality management at the Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) in Jaipur on Saturday, Dr ML Gupta said: “Earlier people used to have open houses, so indoor air pollution was less, but with flat culture, houses are becoming compact indoor pollution is increasing.”
“These days it is a fashion to paint house interior with lot of designs and colours, but people are not aware about the pollution caused by chemicals,” he said.
There is a lot of awareness about the outdoor pollution, but people lack awareness about indoor pollution, Gupta said.
The day-long event was organized jointly by the Prospurs Pte. Limited and Delhi-based Indian Pollution Control Association.
The event was focused on indoor air quality since it is one of the biggest threats to the people across the world.
Apart from metros in India, other cities too are reeling under high levels of air pollutants, especially the particulate matter, Gupta said. “The solution to the problem of urban air pollution is not easy and needs to be tackled by involving all the key stakeholders apart from the local government.”
Policies backed with emission regulations, planning measures and strict enforcement play important role, he said.
Gupta further said that the indoor air quality is not monitored nor regulated to tackle the problem. “There is, however, a need for a stakeholder-driven approach that requires a consultation and participating approach.”
Researchers, academicians, government officials, healthcare experts, and industry experts discussed strategic issues, including design and development of air pollution control systems and indoor air quality issues.
Speaking at the seminar, Dr Nivedita Kaul, assistant professor at the MNIT said: “The workshop is an effort to bring together the technical acumen of engineers and medical expertise of pulmonologists to put forward before the society in a concrete manner in which the growing challenge of indoor pollution can be addressed.”
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