Delhi Air Pollution: Apollo doctor suggests closing schools for children

As the air pollution levels in the national capital reach "very poor," the doctors say that people with no history of respiratory diseases are suffering from breathing issues. Dr Nikhil Modi, Senior Consultant for Respiratory Critical Care at Apollo Hospital, said that apart from the regular patients, those who don't have any respiratory issues in the past are showing up with symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, coughing and have increasing difficulties in breathing.

"We have seen the air quality index (AQI). It is more than 400 and even 500 in many places. Due to this, our regular patients, who have asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) are having exacerbations. They are having more breathing difficulty. They land up in emergencies to take nebulizers, and some of them require admission. Apart from the regular patients, what we are seeing are those who don't have any respiratory issues in the past, they are coming to us with runny noses, sneezing, and coughs, and they are also having increasing difficulties. So the number of cases has suddenly gone up," Dr Modi said.

The Apollo doctor further suggested that the government close the schools for children as they remain vulnerable. Whenever the pollution levels have gone beyond a certain limit, the government has opted to close the schools, Dr Modi said.

"For the last few years, we have been seeing that the government has taken action. Whenever this pollution level has gone beyond a certain limit, they have opted to close the schools. This is important because children are from a vulnerable group. As an adult, we are masked and can protect ourselves better, but children usually are not that effectively taking these measures. Secondly, their lungs are still in developing stages, so they are bound to have more harm due to this pollution," the doctor said.

The air quality of Delhi continued to remain in the 'very poor category,' as several parts of the city witnessed smog for the ninth consecutive day post-Diwali on Saturday.

According to the SAFAR data, the AQI in Delhi was recorded at 360 as of 8 AM today, categorised as 'very poor.'

Other major parts of Delhi, including Bawana recorded an AQI of 409, Alipur at 387, Anand Vihar at 393, Dwarka Sector 8 at 362, IGI Airport at 344, Dilsahd Garden at 220, ITO at 359, Mundka at 377, Najafgarh at 379, New Moti Bagh at 411, Patparganj at 389, RK Puram at 376 and Wazirpur at 399, as per the data of SAFAR.

Akshardham, one of the famous tourist spots of Delhi and one of the major routes connecting Delhi to several important parts of Uttar Pradesh recorded an AQI of 393 and the air quality was categorised as 'very poor', as per the CPCB.