Mumbaikars swap morning walks for evening strolls as air quality dips

The poor air quality of the city is affecting residentsrsquo lives in more ways than onemdasheven down to their exercise routinesMorning walks are falling out of favour and people are choosing to walk in the evening The Maharashtra health department had issued a health advisory in November 2023 asking morning and lateevening walkers and joggers to avoid outdoor physical activity during hours when the Air Quality Index AQI typically deteriorates which is early morning and late during the night after dinnerWhile the advisory made a brief ripple back then its effects are now becoming more evident with a growing number of fitness enthusiasts rethinking their routines ldquoI have seen a noticeable shiftrdquo says Dr Lancelot Pinto consultant pulmonologist and epidemiologist at PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre who has seen a clear shift in behaviour among his patients ldquoMore patients especially senior citizens those with existing respiratory issues and even younger runners are asking about the safest time to walk or jogrdquo he saidJiya Shah at Priyadarshini ParkldquoEarly evening is now being recommended more frequently as AQI levels tend to stabilise by then But the broader issue is the state of the environment in the city Everything in the city currently is dug up from Metro construction to road repairs and when you add vehicular emissions into the mix it naturally results in poor air qualityrdquo he addedDr Pinto points out that while early morning may seem ideal due to lighter traffic many of his patients are actively avoiding those hours due to bad AQI levels ldquoMost of the people I see in the clinic arenrsquot healthy individuals they come with underlying lung and respiratory issues or comorbidities and for them the risk is very real They are concerned and rightly so In a city like Mumbai under current environmental conditions encouraging outdoor physical activity without considering air quality becomes problematicrdquoAccording to AQI data from Mumbairsquos SAFAR System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research pollution levels spike during the early morning hours peaking around 6308 am a time generally preferred by morning walkers Emissions from vehicles industrial activity and overnight atmospheric conditions cause a buildup of pollutants that donrsquot disperse until later in the dayHealth experts weigh inPulmonologists warn that prolonged exposure to poor air quality especially during vigorous activity when the breathing rate increases can aggravate respiratory issues Dr Pinto further added ldquoRunners and walkers are increasingly reporting discomfort or feeling unsafe during early mornings or late evenings Interestingly the air tends to be relatively better during midday or early afternoon For those who have access to green spaces or gardens near their homes or within or around office complexes that may be a better time to step out for some movementrdquoSunil Dahiya Dr Gufran Beig Dr Lancelot Pinto and Renuka PintoInfectious diseases specialist Dr Vasant Nagwekar saysldquoA significant level of pollutants are released in the air due to vehicular emissions especially in the urban areas due to heavy traffic during the morning hours But as the day goes by atmospheric mixing of various gases sunlight and wind flow push these pollutants at higher levels than the breathing levels On the other hand at night pollutants settle at surface levels as a result of reduced wind speeds This leads to saturation of dust particles on the ground level till the sun rises and burns them Thus nowadays we advise people to go on walks only after complete sunrise or in the evening but not during early morning or latenight hoursrdquoWalkers speak outRunners too are adapting ldquoEarlier the Marine Drive promenade would be buzzing by 5306 amrdquo says Naitik Sharma a member of a South Mumbai running group ldquoNow the group meets around 5 pm The energy is different but itrsquos better than breathing in toxic airrdquo Sharma saysRenuka Pinto 47 says ldquoI was an avid morning walker but I had to stop as I developed a severe bronchitis issue because of the increasing dust and air pollution in our area Shivaji Park My doctorrsquos first advice was to stop morning walks He suggested walking either after 10 am or in the evening instead As I am a working woman I prefer going in the eveningrdquoAnother Shivaji Park walker Hriday Jadhav 52 says ldquoI have observed that the dust levels in our area are comparatively less during late evening when offices shut During the day there is heavy vehicular movement tooEven if we come at 7 am the roads are packed as there are many offices in the Lower Parel area and people pass through Prabhadevi to reach their workplaces However when we come around 7308 pm the traffic reduces and thus smoke levels go down which makes it easier to breathe when we walkrdquoldquoFor many years morning walk was something that encouraged me to wake up earlyrdquo says Dynaneshwar Shelke 40 ldquoBut todayrsquos increased pollution levels have made that impossible There is thick haze and acrid smell from the dumping yard even though it is not near my home There are many civic construction works along with private constructions going on in our area Most of the civic works are carried out at night which leads to heavy pollution during the night till early morning I realised this only when morning walks led to respiratory problemsrdquoSpeaking to Sunday midday Sunil Dahiya founder and lead analyst at EnviroCatalysts says ldquoIt is true that morning walks are gradually falling out of favour with many people Particularly during the winter months early mornings are actually the worst time to go for a walk not just because of poor AQI but due to higher toxicity levels in the air While mornings during summer are relatively better theyrsquore still not ideal In fact summer mornings can have air quality that is only slightly better or sometimes similar to the evenings Based on current data and trends the cleanest time of the day in terms of air quality is usually between 2 pm and 4 pm Unfortunately thatrsquos also the time when most people are at work or indoorsrdquoDahiya says this necessitates a change in work culture perceptionldquoItrsquos high time employers and organisations start thinking about integrating walking spaces especially green corridors within and around office complexes A work culture that promotes short walks especially postlunch could be extremely beneficial for employeesrsquo health and wellbeingrdquo he saysDahiya adds ldquoUnfortunately people often donrsquot realise the impact of poor air quality until it begins to affect their health And therersquos a misconception that air quality is only bad only during winters and automatically improves in summer Thatrsquos not necessarily true What people need to start doing as is already common practice in many countries abroad is to check the realtime AQI before stepping out for walks runs or any outdoor physical activityrdquoHolistic approach is neededHowever itrsquos not just an individualrsquos responsibility says Dahiya ldquoCity administrations and pollution control boards must take a more proactive role in issuing advisories and health alerts not just in winter but yearround Communication with the public has to improve Realtime updates should be accessible through mobile apps websites and even physical displays like the pollution control boardrsquos digital boards across the cityrdquo he saysldquoIndia is a diverse country and we simply cannot apply a onesizefitsall modelmdashwhat applies to Delhi may not apply to Mumbai and vice versa But whatrsquos universal is the need for timely reliable AQI information so people can make informed decisions about their daily routinesrdquo Dahiya emphasises ldquoYes this is a major concern Early morning walks which were traditionally considered healthy are no longer advisable in a city like Mumbai The air toxicity levels during the early hours have increased significantlyEven if the AQI appears to be slightly better on some days the chemical composition of pollutants especially PM 25 and PM10 is far more toxic in Mumbai compared to many other cities Based on air quality patterns over the years now the best time for outdoor activities and walks in my view now is between 10 am and 5 pm Unfortunately these are typical working hours and for most of the year the heat and humidity during this period make it uncomfortable for outdoor physical activityDr Gufran Beig ChairProfessor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies NIAS and former project director of SAFAR says that the city needs more green spaces ldquoMost of the gardens in the city are shut during the afternoon Urban planners and the city administration must ensure that parks gardens and green patches are accessible to the public round the clock This would give residents more flexibility to find healthier windows for outdoor activity without compromising on air quality or comfortrdquo he saysMeanwhile Dr Sanjeev Mehta pulmonologist at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra says ldquoIf a person is constantly exposed to heavy pollution heshe starts suffering from minor respiratory issues at the beginning which culminates into bigger problems such as bronchitis and asthma because the lungs become weak by pumping heavily to breathe in such pollution However if there is heavy traffic in some areas mornings might actually be better So one should consult a doctor from their area and take a call accordinglyrdquoJiya Shah 31 a regular at Priyadarshini Park Napean Sea Road says ldquoAfter delivering my baby my doctors suggested that I go for evening walks instead of morning walks as pollution levels are lessrdquo Another Priyadarshini Park walker Nidhi Parate 18 says ldquoAs a child I have always been going for morning walks with my dad But for the last few years mornings have started feeling quite stuffy There is smog every day So I tried switching to evening hours And itrsquos been better than what I have observedrdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params