NEW DELHI: Pulmonologist Ashish Jain has been busier than usual in recent weeks.
Pollution has choked the air in Delhi, forcing residents to mask up like they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More patients have been visiting Dr Jain’s clinic, complaining of a range of respiratory problems from coughing and wheezing to worsening asthma symptoms.
“The number of admissions in the hospitals – they (have gone) up,” said the director and head of respiratory medicine at Max Healthcare, adding there are also increased admissions into the intensive care unit as well as a higher mortality rate.
New alarms have been raised over the public health risk that kills more than 2 million people in India every year, according to medical journal BMJ – the second highest mortality rate after China.
Last week was one of Delhi’s most polluted weeks this year, with the average Air Quality Index hovering between unhealthy and hazardous. It dropped to the severe range in some areas on Tuesday (Nov 5).
Experts have blamed the prolonged Diwali celebrations over the past weekend, when thousands defied a ban on setting off firecrackers, for the worst air quality Delhi has seen in two years.
The Supreme Court has also asked the city’s police force to explain why the ban, which was meant to keep pollution levels in check, was not implemented effectively.
BLANKET OF SMOG EVERY WINTER
Delhi’s air quality is frequently ranked the worst of any major city in the world due to industrial and vehicular emissions, dust, and burning of crop remains in nearby states.
This year, studies have shown that the city’s own pollution sources and its inability to control them have been bigger factors.
