Source – weather.com
Persistently high pollution levels in Bihar have led to an increase in the cases of respiratory diseases, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), across the state, according to a report in the Times of India.
As per the data released by the Bihar state health society, the cases of acute respiratory illness (ARI) in the state have increased from over 2 lakhs in 2009 to 11 lakhs in 2018.
Patna has consistently been among the most polluted cities in India. In fact, the current pollution levels in the capital of Bihar stand as a testimony to the persistent issue of deteriorating air quality.
On Tuesday (December 3) as well, the state capital was the most polluted city in the country, according to the daily AQI bulletin by the Central Pollution Control Board. The city has recorded an overall AQI of 380, which lies in the ‘very poor’ category. It is followed by Muzaffarpur, another city from Bihar, with an AQI of 336.
The rest of the positions in the top half are occupied by Uttar Pradesh-based Varanasi (335), Ghaziabad (326) and Kanpur (316). AQIs between 301 and 400 are all classified as ‘very poor’, and CPCB says that prolonged exposure to such pollution levels can cause respiratory illness.
Between April 1 and November 4 this year, 246 cases of respiratory illnesses were reported across four major hospitals of the city, viz. PMCH, NMCH, IGIMS and AIIMS-Patna. Out of these cases, the maximum were from the district of Patna (165), followed by Vaishali (17), Nalanda (14), Bhojpur (6), Saran (5), Begusarai (5) and other districts.
In an attempt to improve the air quality across the state, the government of Bihar has reportedly proposed a ban on the movement of state-owned vehicles that are more than 15 years old. The restriction could also be extended to commercial vehicles, but only for the Patna metropolitan area.
The state cabinet is expected to give its approval to the proposal as well, by Wednesday, December 4.