Breathless? Know the costs of rising air pollution in cities

Air purifiers, nebulizers and N-95 masks are now a way of life, as are visits to pulmonologists

- Aprajita Sharma

Most people look forward to celebrating the joyous occasion of Diwali, the festival of lights. But many residents of the National Capital Region have begun to dread the festive season. And, for a reason. That is the season when they have their eyes glued to the air quality index (AQI), as farm fires continue to burn bright in the neighbouring states when famers set fire to the crop stubble. Add to this the pollution caused by bursting of firecrackers and the air quality gushes into the hazardous category. And you then see a steady line of people flocking to hospitals due to breathing problems.

The Capital city has been battling air pollution for a long time now, with even the Supreme Court weighing in on the remedial measures taken by the government. But, there seems to be little respite. Complaints of breathlessness, severe wheezing, lung infection and chest congestion are on the rise. Sonia Suri (53), a resident of Mayur Vihar in New Delhi, vividly remembers the day she had to be hospitalized. In 2018, she suffered an unusually long bout of uncontrollable coughing. She consulted a pulmonologist who used a spirometer to monitor her breathing. The spirometer is a medical device that measures how much air one can breathe in and out. “I was not able to breathe. My nails were turning blue. The doctor admitted me to the ICU (intensive care unit) right then and put me on treatment for lung infection. I could have died, he told us later," says Suri, who now wears a N-95 mask all the time. An N95 respirator is a personal protective equipment (PPE) device designed to filter out at least 95% of airborne particles, including small particles and large droplets.