Activists to target construction dust

Apart from the malaria menace, you can also blame the rising burden of another disease, asthma, on the incessant construction activity in the city.

In fact, the Asthma and Bronchitis Association of Mumbai has dashed off a letter to the civic body and to the ministry of housing, urging them to formulate guidelines for contractors and engineers to control ‘construction dust’.

ABA’s Mumbai chapter represents about 2,500 patients in the city, which has about 10 lakh asthma patients. This year, the association’s theme for the World Asthma Day, on May 4, is raising awareness about construction dust.

“In Mumbai, there is construction activity at every nook and corner, whether it is for the monorail, the underground metro, a sky walk or a new tower. Renovations are being carried out in several houses, which also causes respiratory allergies,” said Dr Pramod Niphadkar, secretary of the association, and consultant chest physician at St George Hospital.

“In developed countries, when a building is demolished, it is fully covered from all sides to prevent dust particles from spreading,” he added.

While, ordinarily, 1 sq metre can have 100 microns of dust particles, some of the dust-prone areas of Mumbai have up to 1,000 microns of dust particles, he said. Mumbai also has a geographical disadvantage due to the fact that the city has a hot and humid climate, which is most suitable for dust mites.

“While everyone is concerned about heart disease, lung cancer, breast cancer, stroke and HIV infection, there is little awareness about asthma, which is among the topmost chronic diseases in the world,” said Dr SN Acharya, a paediatrician, adding that he has seen an alarming rise in the number of young asthma patients.