Maharashtra government issues advisory to tackle deteriorating air quality in Mumbai

Mumbai: Taking a serious note of growing air pollution and deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and other major cities in the state, the Maharashtra government has issued a health advisory urging people to avoid outdoor activities like physical exercise and morning-evening walks on poor air quality index (AQI).

The government has also asked people to avoid places with high pollution like roads with slow and heavy traffic, areas near polluting industries, construction-demolition sites, coal based power plants and brick kilns etc.

For people suffering from pollution-related problems like breathlessness, cough, chest pains or discomforts, giddiness, irritation in eyes etc, the state government has recommended the use of N95 face-masks.

The health advisory has come on the backdrop of deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and various cities of the state. The state government has said that the health of citizens may be impacted following the deteriorating air quality due to air pollution and dust during November and February, especially in the winter season.

The warning issued for 17 major cities in the state including Mumbai has cautioned people against activities like walks, jogs, runs, physical exercises outdoors, opening windows during mornings or late evenings.

The state government has directed these cities to have designated surveillance sites for monitoring acute cases of respiratory or coronary conditions reported in emergency wards and align the data with daily AQI readings to identify the hotspots in their jurisdictions based on the AQI levels vis-à-vis the local affected populations.

The state health department has also initiated a ‘Health Action Plan’ in which a district-level task force will monitor air pollution-related illnesses and ensure prompt treatment throughout the state. A central government team is also expected to visit the city to assess the state government's pollution mitigation measures.