As the pollution in the national Capital keeps on getting bad to worse, Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) is coming up with the Department of Occupational and Environment Health. The full-fledged department, with a dedicated staff, will not just do surveys but also research on the data collected to come up with effective solutions, shared the doctors.
The Delhi government had already run a Society- Indraprastha Vyavsayik Evam Paryavarneeya Swasthya Samiti (IVPSS), which helped collect the data during the winter months when the blanket of smog exponentially raised the air quality index to 950. But the society did not have enough resources to do research-based findings.
"Official papers for the setting up of this department have been forwarded and we are looking to get at least six people as dedicated staff for the same This team will help find scientific evidence of air pollution against health. But this set-up will take some time and thus we still need separate preparations for the coming dreaded winter months," said Dr Siddharth Ramji, Dean, Maulana Azad Medical College.
The Air Quality Index, AQI, had risen to 'severe' category between June 13 and 15, which came down to 'very poor' two days later and has been in 'moderate' category since then. The AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.
The air quality in Delhi is now at 'hazardous' levels, with areas in the national Capital registering an air quality index value–a composite measure of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate pollution.
In November 2017, a public health emergency was declared by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Delhi as the air quality index breached 999 which is equal to smoking 50 cigarettes a day. The WHO standard for permissible levels of PM 2.5 in the air (24-hour average) is 25 μg/m3, while India's National Ambient Air Quality standard is 2.4 times higher at 60 μg/m3.
DANGEROUS DAYS
The Air Quality Index, AQI, had risen to ‘severe’ category between June 13 and 15, which came down to ‘very poor’ two days later and has been in ‘moderate’ category since then
