SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: Srinagar city highest incidence of lung cancer in country, as Jammu & Kashmir is facing a huge burden of case of chronic lung disease, with air pollution as major factor for these diseases. Experts underscored the importance of intervention at individual and community level and said that we should rethink land use and there should be proper transportation planning to reduce vehicular traffic besides other practical viable solutions. “The state of air quality in city and State is a major cause of concern and I am happy to lead a program for Doctors for Clean Air and Climate Action network, which gives a platform to talk about health impacts of air pollution and climate change with patients, fellow doctors, stakeholders and masses,” said SKIMS Director, Dr Parvaiz Koul on eve of launch of ‘Doctors for Clean Air and Climate Action’. “This programme is intended with an idea to create awareness among public Air Pollution issue is not only in metro cities like Delhi & Maharashtra but also now in Jammu & Kashmir due to increasing number of vehicles, constructions, brick-kilns, cement factories which emit pollutants and significantly pollute our air thereby affecting health of people,” he said.
On the occasion, other experts said that clean air will lead better quality of life and enhance life expectancy by 9 to 10 years as shown in various studies. Doctors are one of the most trusted professionals to disseminate information to fellow doctors, media and masses.
SKAUST-K experts deliberated on overview of air pollution in Kashmir valley and said that biomass burning in Kashmir is main source of air pollution besides other sources like unregulated establishment of cement factories, brick kilns, traffic etc. “Our aim is to aware doctors and this message will reach to masses as people treat advice of doctors as words of God,” said Director SKIMS. He said that measures which contribute to decreasing air pollution include using fewer vehicles, decreasing use of unleaded petrol, decreasing use of biomass fuels, less use of Kangri and promoting vented heaters. “Air quality index in Kashmir is gradually going into poor category, especially during winters and in past few days AQI has gone from moderate to severe,” he added. He said that government is the policy maker and in recent past good things have happened like plantation on Hari Parbat in Srinagar. “There is a need to take similar initiative to reduce air pollution. Construction of walking tracks is also a good initiative under Smart City Project and there is need to do more such small steps for controlling air pollution,” he said.
