New Delhi: Delhi has been the top contender in the contest to be the worlds most polluted capital running neck-to-neck with the Chinese capital- Beijing. Its huge reliance on fossil fuels has transformed Delhi into one of the planets most polluted cities and made India the third biggest national emitter of greenhouse gases.
Its the harmful fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5)- small enough to get stuck in your lungs, that has caused an unprecedented spike in respiratory and other diseases in residents, most of who are being advised by doctors simply to leave Delhi as a solution. Even Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal became a victim, forced to go for a detoxification programme at the Jindal Institute of Naturecure in Bangalore last month.
The evidence is overwhelming. The killer dust in Delhis air, RSPM (respirable suspended particulate matter), has led to an unprecedented rise in the number of patients seeking help for breathing-related problems at Delhis main health facilities. Whereas the number of OPD cases at the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (VPCI) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had significantly declined when public transport vehicles switched to the cleaner CNG fuel, seven years ago, all those gains have now been lost. The situation today has worsened hugely, setting the clock back.
A spike in the RSPM levels from 161 µg/m3 (microgram per cubic metre) in 2007 to 316 µg/m3 in 2014 has meant that at VPCI, the number of OPD cases that had dipped from 51,694 in 2003-04 to 47,887 in 2006-07 have risen to reach an all-time high of 65,122 cases in 2013-14.
Likewise, AIIMS is following a similar trend. From 10,296 OPD cases of respiratory ailments in 2005-06 to a low of 9,519 in 2007-08, the cases reportedly hit an all-time high of 37,669 in 2014-15.
The particulate matter in New Delhi reportedly stands at 2.5 micrometers, which is almost 5 times the normal size recommended for urban cities. It comprises of solid particles such as dust, vehicle and industrial combustion and liquid droplets such as acids and organic chemicals as well. Anything between 2.5 mm and 10 mm is small enough to enter the lungs and cause serious damage.
AIIMS in fact started a separate respiratory department in 2013. Admitting that these numbers are cause for serious alarm, Dr Randeep Guleria, head of respiratory medicine, AIIMS, told The Indian Express: What is most worrying is that 10-15 years ago, when air pollution levels had come down, our average OPD attendance and admissions in respiratory medicine at AIIMS saw about a 20% decline. We seem to have lost out on our own achievements. As pollution levels have gone up, our public health success has been reversed.
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