On Thursday, entrepreneur and Shark Tank India judge Vineeta Singh raised deep concern over the quickly increasing air quality in the city of Mumbai and asked the authorities to implement more rigid and decisive actions like those implemented in other nations, such as China and South Korea. Singh, the co-founder of the successful beauty brand Sugar Cosmetics, warned that unless action is taken, India would experience serious health effects of long-term contact with polluted air.
Citing a recent ICMR research, Vineeta Singh pointed to horrific statistics that indicate that one out of nine Indians can get cancer during his lifetime. She was also of the opinion that two of the worst impacted categories include lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women, and that the poor air quality is becoming one of the leading contributing factors.
Singh posted a video on her Instagram account to say that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Mumbai had already reached 160 in the early morning, which is considered moderate to approaching poor. In explaining her experience in the outdoors, she commented that she could see schoolchildren waiting at bus stops, old people walking, and various people exercising, which puts them at a high risk of being exposed to polluted air. She also said that her young son was out on a school picnic, that she was concerned about how vulnerable children are.
Singh posed the question whether authorities will not take any serious action until the AQI hits 200 (poor category). Some of the recommendations that she made included the temporary measures on construction works, and the presence of strict control of dust and pollution in the workplace just like what is the case in China.
She also suggested exploitation of the natural climatic conditions in Mumbai. Considering the humidity level in the city, one of the possible solutions that Singh offered to use is cloud seeding in order to provoke the artificial rainfall and decrease the level of airborne particulate matter.
By labeling the situation an emergency, Singh encouraged policy makers and the general population to take air quality as a national-level crisis that would need immediate and long-term efforts to be resolved.
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