Schools, colleges witness less attendance

The fire at Deonar dumping ground has forced students in Chembur to skip schools and colleges.

Dr Ravindran Karathadi, principal, Sree Narayan Guru College of Commerce, said: "The fire at the dumping ground has been there for few days. Due to the smoke our teachers could not conduct the lectures. We have not declared holiday but as most of our students live in Shivaji Nagar and nearby areas of the dumping ground, we have been witnessing only 10% attendance."

Dr Bakul Parikh, paediatrician who practices in Ghatkopar, said that 70% of his patients are children with severe respiratory illness. "Wheezing, severe cough, difficulty in breathing are common complaints that has gone up due to Deonar dumping ground fire," said Parikh, adding that in many cases, children are skipping school because of severe coughing.

Sharing similar sentiments, Dr Mandar Kubal, infectious diseases & pulmonary care in Chembur, said he has seen at least 10 cases of aggravated asthma in adults on Monday morning alone.