Dia Mirza And Sonam Kapoor Raise Concern Over Mumbai’s Deteriorating Air Quality

New Delhi: Like many cities in India, Mumbai residents too are grappling with the deteriorating air quality as parts of the city reeled with ‘very poor’ (300-400 Air Quality Index) air. According to System of Air and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), Mumbai is recording worse air than Delhi, Pune and Ahmedabad for the last few days. Voicing their concern about the current air quality, actor Dia Mirza and Sonam Kapoor took to social media to raise the issue prevailing in the city and ask authorities to take immediate steps. Dia Mirza who is also the Goodwill ambassador of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) posted pictures of Mumbai’s Air Quality Index of past 5 months and said,

Dear #Mumbai,
Pay attention to the toxic air quality. Demand for our fundamental right to life, the right to breathe clean air. The air has remained excessively polluted for over 5months now. When will we speak up? #BreatheLife #CleanAir #MyRightToBreathe #AirQuality.

Also Read: Dia Mirza, Manushi Chillar, Kalki Koechlin, Here’s How Some Women Achievers Have Joined The Swachh Bharat Movement

Dear #Mumbai,
Pay attention to the toxic air quality. Demand for our fundamental right to life, the right to breathe clean air. The air has remained excessively polluted for over 5months now. When will we speak up? #BreatheLife #CleanAir #MyRightToBreathe #AirQuality pic.twitter.com/Twpdb8cLo3

— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) March 25, 2018

Joining Dia in the fight for Swachh Air in Mumbai, Actor Sonam Kapoor tweeted,

Why is no one talking about this? Air quality is something we need to pay attention to as it affects us with every breath we take.

Why is no one talking about this? Air quality is something we need to pay attention to as it affects us with every breath we take. https://t.co/l1suoxCugs

— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) March 27, 2018

Officials from SAFAR have attributed this sudden rise in pollutants in the air of the city to dipping temperatures, ceaseless construction, and commuting and development activities.

Also Read: Sonam Kapoor Inaugurates Mumbai’s First All-Women Toilet That Has Been Constructed By Former Norwegian Prison Inmates, Says It Is A Step To Safe Sanitation

Health Impact of Air Pollution

Air Pollution can lead to the onset of number of allergies or aggravate existing allergies. On the severe side, it may also decrease lung immunity and hamper its functioning across age groups.

According to a Lancet report, outdoor air pollution was responsible for six per cent of the total disease burden in India in 2016 as it caused non-communicable and infectious diseases such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and infections. As per UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report, children’s exposure to air pollution can permanently damage their brains. While, pregnant women’s exposure to traffic related air pollutants – especially PM2.5- can be associated with two-to-six per cent increased odds of low birth weight and one-to-three per cent increased odds of being small for gestational age.