MUMBAI: In a first of its kind campaign, concerned citizens and civil society organisations across Maharashtra have demanded that Urban Local Bodies mandatorily issue timely health advisories publicly to alert citizens about ‘bad air days’ which will help save vulnerable groups from severe impacts of air pollution on their health.
The joint call to action comes from non-attainment cities (ones that do not meet the prescribed air quality standards set by the Union environment ministry) like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chandrapur and others, reeling under poor air quality. Bad air days are when the air quality index (AQI) — pollutant measuring indicator — rises beyond the safe limit.
The online campaign (https://blueskies.jhatkaa.org/) was initiated on September 7 — International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. In its second year since its inception, the theme for 2021 is ‘Healthy Air, Healthy Planet’. Maharashtra has a total of 19 non-attainment/million plus cities under the National Clean Air Action Plan, highest for any state in the country.
Bhagwan Kesbhat, founder of Mumbai-based Waatavaran Foundation and member of Maharashtra Clean Air Collective, said, “Citizen groups across all non-attainment cities will also meet their respective municipal commissioners and submit a letter demanding a health advisory on bad air days.”
