Hospitals in Lucknow are reporting a sudden influx of patients suffering from respiratory and cardiac problems.
Hospitals in Lucknow are reporting a sudden influx of patients suffering from respiratory and cardiac problems.
Almost 95 per cent of the patients are regular morning walkers. “Majority of the patients who are coming to us are actually fitness freaks who have been taking morning walks and a controlled diet for years. We have finally zeroed-in on the causes leading to respiratory and cardiac problems in such people and the main reason is the exposures to fumes from burning garbage during the morning hours,” said Dr R.K. Saxena, a cardiologist. The doctor said that he is now advising his patients to avoid taking a walk in the open and switch over to treadmills or Yoga at home. “This way, they will not be exposing themselves to toxic fumes in the morning. Children going to school should also be made to wear masks to lessen the impact,” he said.
Burning garbage is a common sight in the morning hours here. The municipal workers collect trash at one point and instead of towing it away, they burn it on the roadside. The waste includes leaves, domestic waste, plastic bags, polythene items, thermocol glasses and plates and other non-degradable material which release toxic and poisonous gases when burnt.
The ash that is left behind blows up with wind and goes to lungs. It contains heavy metals and chemicals like cadmium, arsenic, chromium and lead, which can damage lung, kidney and cause respiratory and gastrointestinal problems etc.
Toxic smoke not only affects morning walkers, students and office-goers but also increases the pollution graph of the city that has remained one of the most polluted cities in the country for three consecutive days last week. Dr Alok Dhawan, director of Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, said that burning of garbage is a major contributor to air pollution. He said it needs to be extensively researched as to what percentage of pollution is caused by each pollutant so that corrective measures can be taken.
According to Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) rules, garbage and leaves should be collected from streets, houses and commercial places and sent for solid waste treatment. However, LMC’s solid waste treatment has not started as yet so this is the only way for workers to dispose garbage.
Mr Vishal Bharadwaj, the Additional Municipal Commissioner, when contacted, said, “Seeing the gravity of the situation, we will now ensure proper monitoring”.
