As Mumbai’s pollution woes deepen, state govt issues health advisory

Residents from around Shivaji Park protested on Saturday because they believe that the BMC’s red soil, placed incompletely in 2021, is causing pollution

The state government issued a health advisory on Sunday, cautioning individuals with pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular conditions about the complications resulting from high pollution levels. Residents in dusty areas of Mumbai have already experienced these consequences.

For instance, Vaibhav Rege, a Shivaji Park resident, lost his 85-year-old father in March. Although his father's death was attributed to diabetes, he had been diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) months earlier, and his health deteriorated during the highly polluted winter months the previous year.

Rege's family had no history of smoking. Like him, many residents around Shivaji Park have been suffering from respiratory issues due to stagnant dust in the area, attributed to the incomplete laying of red soil, part of a 2021 beautification project under the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led government, which was halted when he was ousted.

Heavy smog cover at Dadar in Mumbai. File Pic/Shadab Khan

Air quality has been consistently poor across Mumbai, with hospitals reporting a surge in patients seeking treatment for respiratory ailments since October. For instance, Lilavati Hospital in Bandra has seen a 70 per cent increase in patients arriving with respiratory issues much earlier than in the previous year, primarily individuals with pre-existing respiratory illnesses.

Dr Jalil Parker, a pulmonologist, emphasised the need for urgent measures to improve the city's air quality, particularly before the winter adds to the situation. The BMC has initiated steps to control the city's air quality index after a month-long public outcry and news reports on pollution.

In the eastern and western suburbs, the BMC has sprayed recycled water to cleanse 154 kilometres of roadways, and in Mumbai city, areas like Dr Annie Besant Marg, Khan Abdul Khan Ghaffar Marg, Peddar Road, Cuffe Parade, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Udyan Maidan have been covered.

Dr Parker also explained that while COPD doesn't always result from increased pollution, it can exacerbate the condition and further compromise the lungs. When combined with diabetes, worsened by air pollution, it places a significant burden on multiple organs, increasing the risk of fatality.

A cardiologist at KEM hospital added that COPD alongside diabetes is particularly dangerous, as it can lead to secondary infections, primarily in elderly patients. Furthermore, a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, conducted between 2010 and 2017 in Delhi and Chennai, suggests that poor air quality and exposure to PM2.5 can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. The study followed a cohort of 12,000 men and women in the two cities over seven years, indicating that even one month of PM2.5 exposure can increase blood sugar levels, and a year-long exposure can raise the risk of diabetes.