"Sad that in 2024, we face same problems as in 2014": Doctors criticise Delhi administration for pollution

New Delhi [India], November 11 (ANI): As the national capital continues to battle with alarming level of pollution and resultant health issues, doctors criticised the Delhi administration for the situation.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Arvind Kumar, Chairman of the Institute of Chest Surgery at Medanta Hospital, expressed his frustration with the government's response to the issue and slammed the undertaking of short term methods. Dr Kumar criticised the administration's failure to address the root cause of the situation.
He warned that the city's worsening air quality is severely affecting public health, with increasing cases of respiratory problems, and pneumonia among others.
"The closure of schools and all the GRAP measures, I completely disagree with them because these are all temporary knee-jerk reactions," he stated.
"I fail to understand why it's the same story year after year. The first time we discussed it was in 2004. It's almost 20 years now, and as a matter of fact, I would tell you that there is no need to interview anyone afresh. You just go back to your previous years' interviews, and the questions are the same, the answers are the same, the problems are the same--everything is the same. Only the years are changing. It's sad that in 2024, we are facing the same problems due to the same reasons, having the same consequences as we did in 2014. Nothing has changed," Dr Kumar remarked.
Dr Kumar also criticised measures like fogging machines and temporary bans on certain activities, describing them as ineffective.
"People are talking about using those fogging bush machines, but what is all that? It's just a sham. You allow crop burning, congestion, and all kinds of pollution to continue. You wait for the AQI to rise to 400, and then you take these knee-jerk reactions--shutting down schools, stopping construction, halting all activities. I fail to understand what the solution is," Dr Kumar said.
He also highlighted the severe impact on people's health, saying, "When you breathe that kind of air, your throat gets choked. All the ICUs are now getting patients with all kinds of pneumonia. You talk to paediatricians, their clinics are flooded with children having breathing problems. Go to any household, children are coughing, adults are coughing. It's taking a toll on people's health."
Dr Kumar pointed out that the situation is not only affecting those with pre-existing respiratory conditions but also otherwise healthy individuals.
"I am not a respiratory patient, but let me share with you that for the last almost three weeks, I have been taking an inhaler almost every day. Last night, I had to get up twice because I was feeling choked due to the AQI around my house being over 400," he said.
"When you're inhaling that kind of air, your throat gets choked, your nose gets blocked, and your breathing passages become constricted. It's hell. It's unfit for living for any one of us," he added.
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.
The overall air quality in Delhi was recorded at 349 as of 9 am today morning which falls in the 'very poor' category', according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR)-India data.
An AQI is considered "poor" between '200 and 300', "very poor" at '301 and 400', "severe" at '401-450," and 450 and above is "severe plus." (ANI)