The CRF director should know as the Wellcome Trust Genetic study reported in Environmental Science and Pollution Research in June this year speaks of the long-term pulmonary effects of air pollution in Pune where the typical concentrations of PM10 in the ambient air is above100 µg/m3. Salvi, who is one of the co-authors of the study — “Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Among Diabetic and Non-diabetics, Insulin Resistance in Diabetic Patients” — said that even a 10 micro gram per cubic meter rise in particulate matter (PM 10) level can increase breathlessness and reduce lung function among diabetic persons. Air pollution contributes to 6.6 million premature deaths every year, in rapidly developing countries. “I still remember the cold winters, the lush green and very welcome monsoons and the pleasantly warm summers in Pune. Even during summers, the temperatures hardly rose over 32 to 35 degrees. The air was so fresh. Today, with so many vehicles, citizens are breathing in polluted air at each traffic signal,” Salvi said.

At SAFAR, scientists start predicting air quality

What has changed in the last couple of years though is the systematic and scientific assessment of the air quality. SAFAR (System for Air Quality Forecasting and Research) was developed by Pune scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) to give air quality at a given time and predict what it will be 24 hours later. For instance, last year, SAFAR scientists showed how the level of PM2.5 had started to build-up from 93 µg/m3 (POOR) on Dec 21 to 330 µg/m3 (severe) on December 24 and predicted to peak at 342 µg/m3 (severe) on Dec 25. According to DrGufranBeig, project director SAFAR, the ultimate aim was to increase the awareness among the general public about the air quality so that appropriate mitigation action can be taken. In 1994, the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) had appointed experts from the environment science at Pune University to monitor the rising particulate pollution. According to reports, air quality monitoring by NAMP between 1999 and 2004 showed that particulate matter — mainly dust stirred by vehicles on roads and crushing or grinding operations — ranged from unhealthy to critical.