Kanpur: People are suffering from coughs among other respiratory issues, as Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur experiences smog. Visuals from various locations across Kanpur showed a thick layer of smog surrounding parts of the city with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 166, which falls in the ‘moderate’ category. Vijay, a local resident, while speaking to ANI,
We suffer through coughs. We face issues in breathing due to pollution.
Another local, Anil Vajpayee, said that the government should take steps towards it. He said,
Now that the winters are around the corner, the pollution is also on the rise. We suffer from irritation in our eyes while driving.
Meanwhile, the national capital is also grappling with pollution as the AQI slipped into the ‘very poor’ category, as per SAFAR India.
Also Read: Delhi Air Quality Plunges Into ‘Poor’ Category With Air Quality Index Of 245
Air quality in Delhi deteriorated from poor to the ‘very poor’ category, with the Air Quality Index at 302 on Sunday afternoon, as per SAFAR-India.
The Air Quality Index is a tool for effective communication of air quality status to people in terms that are easy to understand. There are six AQI categories, namely Good + Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.
Each of these categories is decided based on the ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints).
According to the AQI scale, the air quality check between 0 and 50 is “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 450 “severe”.
Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday said that the next two weeks were crucial for the city that has put into force phase two of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to tackle “very poor” air quality.
Minister Rai chaired a meeting at the Delhi Secretariat to take stock of the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR and said special teams will be deputed to identify and inspect local sources of pollution. He said,
The next 10-15 days are crucial and we are trying to do better than previous times.
Also Read: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai Launches Anti-Dust Campaign In Delhi To Combat Air Pollution
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
