Diwali Health Alert Issued Over Air Pollution And Firecracker Risks, People Advised To Stay Indoors As AQI Worsens In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The health department, on Tuesday, issued an advisory ahead of Diwali about air pollution and firecrackers. The circular has been sent to all medical college deans, chief medical and health officers (CMHOs) and civil surgeons.

The advisory is based on the severity of air pollution with reference to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data. According to the data, 18% of total deaths in the country and 15% of total disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributed to air pollution.

About 32.5% of total deaths are due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 29.2% of total deaths are due to ischaemic heart disease (IHD), 16.2% of deaths are due to stroke and 11.2% of total deaths are due to lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI).

Similarly, 22.7% of total DALYs are due to COPD, 15.5% of total DALYs due to LRTI, 24.9% of total DALYs are due to IHD, 13.5% of total DALYs are due to stroke and 14.5% are due to neonatal disorders.

As per the advisory, people have been asked to avoid outdoor physical activities in case of poor air quality index (AQI) of 201-300. Similarly, they have been asked to avoid outdoor physical activities in the morning and late evening hours in case of AQI of 301-400 (very poor).

The advice is to remain indoors and keep activities low. People asked not to ignite firecrackers inside tin boxes, metal cans or glass bottles

In the advisory, people have been advised not to light firecrackers inside tin boxes, metal cans or glass bottles to increase their sound. They have been asked to purchase only branded, government-regulated and BIS-marked firecrackers from authorised shops and avoid homemade crackers.