The rising pollution in the City has led to drastic increase in asthma among children during summer, according to a study conducted by Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) of Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

According to the study report, the incidence of asthma has gone up by 10 times in the last 16 years – from 2.8 per cent in 1994 to 28.8 per cent in 2010. Construction works, road widening, tree felling and increasing vehicular population have contributed in making Bangalore the asthma capital, said Mahesh Kashyap, a research fellow with CiSTUP. He was delivering a lecture at a workshop on fuel efficiency on Tuesday.

Underscoring the gravity of the situation in view of the unprecedented rise in respiratory ailments, Kashyap said 10 per cent of the City’s population – which is about nine lakh – suffer from health problems caused by air pollution.

The report points out that traffic police, who spend most part of the day at traffic

junctions are more susceptible to respiratory problems. At least 26 per cent of the traffic cops have asthma, 27 per cent suffer from cough and eight per cent complained of breathlessness.

There has also been a gradual increase in the average temperature of the City. The average temperature has gone up from 29.8 degree Celsius in 2008 to 30.9 degree Celsius in 2012. Kashyap said the rise in temperature will affect formation of ozone layer.

continue reading Children falling victims to air pollution in City, says study.