Pune: With the winter season fast approaching and the upcoming Diwali festival drawing people out of their homes in droves, Pune has witnessed a troubling surge in air pollution. The increase in air pollutants has resulted in a spike in health issues such as colds, asthma, coughing, and sneezing among the city’s residents over the past two weeks.
The deterioration of air quality in Pune and its neighbouring areas can be attributed to a combination of factors, including cold weather, humidity, dust, smoke, and a high number of vehicles clogging the city streets. This has led to a significant rise in the concentration of fine dust particles, specifically PM 10 and PM 2.5, in the air.
The tiny size of these particulate matters allows them to easily infiltrate the respiratory tracts and enter the lungs. Due to their minuscule size, they cannot be effectively filtered out by the body’s natural defences. Consequently, these particles find their way into the bloodstream and travel to various organs throughout the body, slowly affecting the various body organs.
These harmful particles originate from various sources, including combustion, firecrackers, motor vehicles, and power plants. As a result, it is the elderly and individuals with comorbidities who bear the brunt of the pollution’s impact. The consequences of this pollution result in throat irritation, redness in the eyes, frequent sneezing, and skin problems, which are exacerbated by the winter season. Adding to the concern, the deadly combination of smoke and fog, commonly referred to as “smog,” further exacerbates the air pollution problem, particularly during the winter months.
Experts have issued a stern warning to people such as the elderly, children, and individuals with co-morbidities, emphasising the need for caution in the coming months. They recommend the use of masks when venturing outdoors to shield against the dusty environment and advise against prolonged exposure to polluted air while working outside.
The System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), an agency responsible for monitoring air quality, has revealed that Pune’s air quality has deteriorated to the point where it now lags behind even Mumbai, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
