Diwali pollution goes up by 15% inTelangana

Hyderabad: Diwali this year showed that air pollution levels have increased sharply in Telangana resulting in spurt of respiratory allergies by 15 percent while the festival has been more of lights and less of noise in Andhra Pradesh.

According medical experts, asthma patients and those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are the worst affected due to the air pollution caused by burning of crackers in the Twin Cities.

Nitrogen oxide, the pollutant released from firecrackers not only aggravates respiratory problems but also causes skin and eye infections. In the last three days, hospitals in the city are witnessing an increase of patients with problems related to breathing and chest infections. Dr Vishnun Rao Veerapaneni, specialist in Asthma, child chest diseases of Swasa Hospital says,

“Out of every 100 patients they had received 10 are directly related to Diwali pollution. Dr Vishnun said that ten patients out of the 40 he treated on Friday came with issues directly related to pollution caused by burning crackers. Pollutants that emerge from firecrackers remain in the atmosphere for a long period and as a result aggravate allergic bronchitis, COPD, pneumonia and cold. Dr K Narsimulu, nodal officer, Gandhi Hospital said, “People with history of bronco spasm are prone to become hypersensitive. We administer anti-allergic steroids and bronco-dilators, he said.

Even Warangal reported an increase of about 10 per cent cases of patients suffering from allergic rhinitis, ENT specialist Dr Gouda Ramesh (Hanamkonda) said. Similar reports were received from Nizamabad as well.

According to Dr Vishal, , Psychologist at Nizamabad Medical College, there has been an increase of 10 to 15 percent cases of patients suffering from various respiratory problems. He said air pollution has increased in Nizamabad city and the nano particles rate was high in the air. The heavy metals get mingled in the atmosphere which causes various diseases, he added.

But interestingly, the situation has been different in Andhra Pradesh. Barring Tirupati, there has not been neligent impact of pollution in other parts mostly because this year it has been a quieter Diwali. According to Dr R Naveen of Naveen ENT Hospital Vijayawada, the number of cases with respiratory problems was negligible. In fact, the pollution caused due to explosion of crackers was comparatively less than that of previous years.

The sky rocketing of prices of crackers had come as a blessing in disguise in East Godavari district. The medical Superintendent of Bollineni Hospitals, Dr Ramgopal Reddy, said that no respiratory case was recorded after Diwali. Resident Medical officer, Rajahmundry Government Hospital, Dr Padmasri also said no person with respiratory problems was admitted in the hospital.

Visakhapatnam too witnessed a quieter Diwali. Superintendent of KGH Dr M Madhusudana Babu and Superintendent ENT Hospital Dr Krishna Kishore said that no cases of respiratory problems had come to the hospital during the last three days.

However, there has been a spurt in the number of patients suffering from respiratory problems in Tirupati. According to chest specialist Dr Ravi, the number of outpatients at government SVRR Hospital had increased by 20-25 per cent and most of them were suffering due to breathing problems.