There are around 10 thousand deaths in JK that are attributed to air pollution yearly and there is a need to act and control it by countering it, Director SKIMS Dr Parvaiz Koul said on Saturday.
While talking exclusively with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) on the sidelines of the launch of Doctors for Clean Air and Climate Action, J&K Chapter, he said that yearly around 10 thousand deaths are attributed to particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) exposure and there is need to control it by countering it.
“Today’s program was intended with an idea to create awareness among the public that the Air Pollution issue is not only in Delhi and Maharashtra but also in J&K due to the increasing number of vehicles, construction, brick kilns, cement factories that emit pollutants and significantly pollute our air and effecting our health which makes air pollution a health issue”, he said.
“Our aim is to make aware doctors and this message will reach to masses as people treat the advice of doctors as words of God and people will get information on how to decrease air pollution and how they can contribute to it,” Koul added.
He said the measures, which can contribute to decreasing air pollution include using fewer vehicles, reducing the use of unleaded petrol, decreasing the use of biomass fuels, less use of Kangri, and using vented heaters.
He said air pollution affects every single organ of the body and ”we have work to reduce the pollution.”
“Air quality index in Kashmir is gradually going into the poor category, especially during winters and in the past few days AQI has gone from moderate to severe and there is a need to intervene now”, He added.
He said the government is the policy maker and in the recent past good things have happened like plantation on Hari Parbat and changing Hari Parbat from barren to forest land.
“There is a need to take similar initiatives so as to reduce air pollution. Walking tracks have been constructed is also a good initiative as a part of Smart City Project and there is need to do more small steps so as control air pollution gradually,” he said—(KNO)