Celebrities and experts on Wednesday pitched for celebrating a smoke-free green Diwali and urged the government and the public to take necessary steps to create a pollution-free environment during the festival of lights.
Popular public figures like Virat Kohli, Kapil Dev, Rohit Sharma, Virender Sehwag and Nina Gupta have also lent their support to the campaign by a citizen’s group — #MyRightToBreathe — by sharing videos and pledges on their social media accounts.
Leading pulmonologists urged the public to revive the traditional practices such as planting saplings, lighting earthen lamps, creating rangolis with eco-friendly colours, and using traditional oil diyas, and wax candles as a first step towards combating the dangerous levels of air pollution in Delhi.
Resident welfare associations and NGOs are also coming together to sensitize and encourage people for the same. “We owe it to our children to give them clean air to breathe,” said Dr Anupam Sibal, a senior pediatrician and group medical director at Apollo hospitals groups.
“The number of children with respiratory problems increases after Diwali and continues till winter months as the air quality deteriorates. We should work together to not repeat what had happened last year, when schools had to be closed because the air had become so dangerous to breathe,” Sibal added.
Dr Arvind Kumar, chief Thoracic Surgeon of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said there has been a rapid rise in the incidence of lung cancer in India due to various causes, including smoking and pollution, and urged that pollution be declared a health issue.
“When I started 25 years ago, most of the lungs of the non-smokers were pink but smokers had black lungs. But today when I operate, I find a lot of non-smokers, including some teenagers having black lungs. Pollution should be declared a major health issue and emergency major maneuvers have to be taken to bring it down,” said Kumar.
Breathing easy
Pulmonologists urged the public to revive the traditional practices such as planting saplings
Residents’ groups, NGOs coming together to sensitize people to the perils of toxic air
Some doctors have urged that pollution should be declared a major health hazard
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "DIWALI-2016")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}