Delhi Air Pollution: Health Ministry urges people to limit outdoor activities, use public transportation – Life News

As air quality continues to deteriorate, the Health Ministry on Friday issued advisory urging the public to limit outdoor activities. In a letter, issued by Dr. Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services, the government emphasised that air pollution has become a serious health challenge, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) in certain state/UTs reaching moderate to poor levels.

The Ministry also warned that this may even worsen considering the upcoming festival season and onset of winters.

“Air pollution is a significant contributor to acute health conditions and exacerbates the progression of chronic diseases affecting the respiratory, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular systems. These chronic illnesses, attributed to prolonged exposure to air pollution, often lead to an increase in premature mortality. The adverse effects are particularly severe for vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with pre-existing health conditions, and those who face higher exposure risks due to their occupations, such as traffic police officers and municipal workers,” the Ministry said in a statement.

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In light of this, I urge the State Health Departments and healthcare facilities to enhance their preparedness, the DGHS stated.

“This should include intensifying public awareness campaigns, disseminating targeted messaging through designated mass media channels ni regional languages, strengthening the capacity of the healthcare workforce, and scaling up participation in sentinel surveillance systems for air pollution-related diseases under the National Program on Climate Change and Human Health,” he added.

The Ministry also emphasised that at this critical time, raising public awareness about actions to prevent further degradation of air quality is vital.

“These include discouraging stubble and waste burning, reducing firecrackers during festivities, promoting public transportation over personal diesel- or petrol-powered vehicles, limiting reliance on diesel-based generators, and curbing smoking. Additionally, individuals should be advised to minimize their exposure to polluted air by monitoring air quality indices through government mobile applications before venturing outdoors, avoiding heavily congested areas, and opting for cleaner fuels at home for cooking, heating, and lighting,” it added.

Outdoor activities such as sports and exercise should be restricted, especially for vulnerable populations like the elderly, pregnant women, and those with pre-existing conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, the Ministry said in its advisory.

Those experiencing worsening symptoms or discomfort due to poor air quality should seek immediate medical attention, it added.

The national capital Delhi was engulfed in a layer of smog on Friday and the air quality was recorded at 283 at 8 am.

As per data recorded at 8:00 am, the AQI at Anand Vihar was recorded as 218, 245 at Punjabi Bagh, 276 at India Gate, 288 at Jhilmil Industrial area. An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor, and 401-500 is severe.

On October 24, the Public Work Department (PWD) vehicles sprinkled water in several areas to tackle the issue of air pollution. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked the Stage II GRAP Action Plan across the National Capital Region. This includes carrying out mechanical/vacuum sweeping and water sprinkling of the identified roads on a daily basis.

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