Asthma/Pollution in India

[Nevrekar]

I was in New Delhi (1999)and then went on to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. This was in December and every evening and morning there was fog mixed with pollution. I came down with bronchial asthma and had to be treated in Agra. The smog was so thick that the Taj was hardly visible from even 1/4 mile away.

Has any of that changed much. If anyone has visited Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, how would you compare these cities relative to levels of air pollution?

[Jet_Settin]

Delhi overall is the best city to stay in India....just my 2 cents worth

Pollution has gone down considerably.....though its still there
Greenery has gone up....
The Autorickshaws, Taxis and Buses all run on CNG (compressed natural gas) which has made a huge difference.

Traffic flow has eased a bit what with all the flyovers which have been made,
Roads are good if not the best.

I hate Mumbai....stayed there for a year....
Bangalore is pretty alright.

[topoftheloop]

Just came back from Mumbai, it's unbelievable. The pollution is terrible.
This city is a shame for mankind. Whoever is responsible
for the living condition of the children there should be punished.
I lost all my respect for India.
Nobody can be so desperate to go there.

[jumpdrive]

totally rite lOOP..........U could not hit the target better
this is horrible, all the cities!!!!!
i feel bad for the people living here
i know this is just a stop over for me to make money
but the ones staying and living here!
wow they think this is great that there is nothin g better than india
& jetsettin............blr is alrite?
are you crazy..........do you have lungs????
pollution here its overwelming
driving at nite looks like a horror movie
the way the car lights make the pollution shine
cool effects if we where in a spieLberg movie
& your brief comments on delhi's road's (......the best!?!?!?!) seems you where talking bout the AutoBAN........if you know where it is!!!!
U need to wear a PBE going out
...........solutions?

get rid of all the F..^%@# autorickshaw's
and those 50 year old buses generating between them 99% of the
UNbreathable air in this joke of a city, and they dare to call it GARDEN city

oh & another thing
stop honking the damn HORN!!!!!!!!!!
& get real driver's

[Jet_Settin]

Cool it Jumpdrive....

i know where the hell the autoBAHN is......
i never said delhi roads are the best......
and when i spoke about the other indian cities....im just comparing them to cities within india.....
i aint comparing them to the world.....
and like i said....delhi is the best to stay from cities within india.....
I NEVVA SAID DELHI IS THE BEST!!!!

[hedgehog-in-fog]

Ithink after some time you'll get uset to it.
I was shaked when came.
My wify cried for couple of days.
But now it's O.K. We got used to honking, dont pay aatention to beggars etc.
But it's i little boring here. From the other side you can try yoga

[Nevrekar]

While India may not be everyone's cup of tea, it has its own charm. Some may learn to appreciate it, other may not. It's a personal decision. The fact of the matter is that the economy has reached "escape velocity" and is expected to grow at 8% a year. Hopefully with growth, infrastructure will improve as will social issues of concern. Pollution has certainly been a big issue. As I had mentioned in a previous post, while in New Delhi in 1999, it was just awful, and going to Agra didnt help much. I had an asthma attack and had to be treated by the hotel Dr. Since then I am told Delhi has CNG for all buses and rickshaws. Hopefully other cities will follow suit. Evironmental regulations need to be tightened. Many other developing countries in Asia and Africa are facing similar challenges.
Like it or not India is a major player now. Jobs in aviation are going to be available for qualified expats. Its up to an individual to decide if its worth the "sacrifice." If its not then its time to seek greener pastures.

[Pushpak]

Yes because of work one has to be in the metro's and like any other big cities Indian cities too have their bad sides and i am not trying to say that India is the best, but for me its home and home is the best sure everyone feels the same about their home countries too.....take a break go visit Kulu Manali it will be worth the trip...who know's you might never want to leave that place.
welcome to India and enjoy your stay...something different.
Good luck

[Nevrekar]

Regarding pollution figures for major cities in India I found an interesting link.
Go to www.ndtv.com. It has the lastest news etc for India pretty much like CNN. On the left side under "Sections" click on pollution. It gives you the readings for most of the major cities including a graph to chart the last ten days. Residents, correct me if I am wrong, but there seems to be a certain time of the year for each city where the pollution levels are worse. i.e Based on March 30th readings Mumbai has low reading--and I know it cant be true always.

[Nevrekar]

March 30, 2006
Emergency Warning Alert Unhealthy Low/Safe
CITY PARTICULATE
POLLUTION GAS
POLLUTION
Click on the city to see graph SPM (µg/M3) SO2 (µg/M3) NO2 (µg/M3)
Ahmedabad (Ashram Road) 447 2 26
Bangalore (J.C. Road) 150 8 11
Chandigarh (Sector 7) 137 5 14
Chennai (T. Nagar) 183 23 29
Delhi (Lajpat Nagar) 350 10 27
Guwahati (Silpukhuri) 401 15 28
Hyderabad (Sr. Nagar) 234 5 33
Kolkata (Shyam Bazar) 247 7 55
Lucknow (Dalibagh) 383 10 18
Mumbai (Colaba) 268 8 13

Click on the city to see graph
Source: Eureka Forbes Institute of Environment

National Ambient Air Quality Standard (For Residential area)
SPM Suspended Particulate Matter 200 µg/M3
SO2 Sulphur-di-Oxide 80 µg/M3
NO2 Nitrogen-di-Oxide(Oxides of Nitrogen) 80 µg/M3

[beykoz]

Hey Jumpdrive

For starts,consider improving your English before you write on Public forums otherwise shut up and go back to your pollution free corner of the world you come from.
Stop feeling bad for all of us Billion people living here man. We are one of the oldest civilisations of the world and if we've survived this long without you (in this pollution), I am quite confident we will continue to.
If you don't like it here. LEAVE and don't come back.

[richie-rich]

jumpdrive
while i agree with beykoz and think its prudent to have a refresher course, it worries me to see the mentality of some foreigners (non-indians) who have got the faintest of idea about the rest of the world but their own.

pollution+traffic+people might look negative but according to me, the ability to respect another culture and its people holds more value than knowing where the AUTOBAHN is. btw, i am asking u this. Where exactly is the autobahn?

my girl friend is from mumbai and it has given me the chance to know more about the city and india as a whole. bollywood surpasses any other film industry in the world except hollywood, and the idea of living and growing up as a child is an "inborn" issue, not something you and i (i am not indian, btw) will understand. so, its wise not to jump to conclusion.

i guess one doesnt know how to respect others only when he/she doesnt know how to respect him/herself. agreed?

richie

[Left Wing]

jump is stirring the pot, flush him down where he belongs