MEERUT: The Supreme Courts ban on the sale of prohibited firecrackers fell miserably flat as pollution levels in towns across Uttar Pradesh within the Delhi NCR region escalated to the "severe" category. Post-midnight, the Air Quality Index (AQI) soared to 500 in numerous districts of the Meerut zone, including Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, and Hapur.Despite restricted availability in the open market, the public could access them easily. The bursting of crackers continued well past midnight in all districts. Contrary to the recent decline in pollution levels due to rainfall in West UP and Delhi, Diwali festivities contributed to the resurgence of smog. TheAQI is determined by evaluating the levels of primary and harmful pollutants, specifically particulate matter such as PM 2.5 and PM 10, in the air.Health experts emphasized that the "severe" category adversely affects not only individuals with existing health conditions but also healthy individuals. Notably, GRA (Graded Response Action Plan), is in place in the region which has led to the immediate ban on all construction activity in the region to keep the pollution levels down."Over the past decades, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), primarily caused by elevated pollutant levels, has surpassed other diseases in terms of prevalence. The amount of pollution that a non-smoker in Delhi NCR is inhaling is equivalent to 20-25 cigarettes per day. This not only aggravates prevailing asthma among patients but also adds new patients every year. Something needs to be done collectively by the civil society and governments to mitigate this crisis," said Dr Veerottam Tomar, a renowned pulmonologist based in Meerut.Describing COPD as a preventable and manageable lung disease, Dr. Tomar explained that it involves inflammation and narrowing of the airways (chronic bronchitis) and damage to air sacs (emphysema).

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