Five steps that can help you to detoxify when the air quality gets hazardous Post Diwali on
November 25, multiple reports indicated that the Air Quality Index (AQI) has dropped down to ‘very poor’ (342) in Delhi. The pollution and deteriorated air quality in the capital and also in the nearby cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Gurgaon can primarily be attributed to cracker bursting and also the practice of stubble burning in neighbouring states. Here is how you can find a few ways to cope with this smog and smoke filled post festival gloom.
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Plant more trees
Post Diwali celebrations, toxic gases including carbon dioxide are still suspended in the air leading to respiratory and other allergic problems in people including small children. One effective way to create urban carbon sinks is by planting more trees. Polluted cities and concrete jungles need more green cover, and social organisations like Grow-Trees.com are helping citizens to join in afforestation and tree planting initiatives in urban, rural and tribal areas across the country and wherever trees are needed to improve water tables, oxygenate air and improve biodiversity. Plant, donate, or gift a tree to your loved ones from their projects like ‘
Trees for Tigers’, ‘Trees for Water’, ‘Trees for the Himalayas’, ‘Trees for Wellness’ and ‘Trees for Urban Landscape’ with just a click or join environmental watch groups and organisations that speak up for clean air and green lung spaces when no one else will.
Avoid pollution hotspots
If you like your morning walks or spend a lot of time outdoors, try to avoid the most polluted areas post Diwali and if you must venture out, avoid the rush hours, wear a mask and carry a water bottle to hydrate yourself.
Exposure to vitiated air may cause throat pain, chest infection, asthma, coughing and other respiratory infections. In the event of a preexisting Asthma condition, carry an inhaler everywhere you go. As a responsible citizen, you can also do your bit to avoid adding to the pollution by carpooling and buying electric or hybrid vehicles or atleast choosing cars that don’t run on diesel and emit less
nitrogen dioxide. You could also switch to solar energy, energy-efficient appliances, CFL light bulbs and draught-proof windows at home.
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Maintain your air filters
For many of us who live in polluted urban zones, having an air filtering system at home is a necessity rather than a luxury. However, remember to maintain and change air filters regularly as this will ensure that the air you are breathing indoors is clean. Buy air purifiers after a thorough research into the kind of particles they are tested for, what is their purifying capacity and so on. However
air purifiers can be expensive and unaffordable and you can research a new invention by Heart Care Foundation of India, called ‘jugaad’. This can be made at home with an exhaust fan and HEPA filter and costs just a few hundred rupees. You could also avoid indoor pollution by cutting down on aerosol sprays, deodorants and chemical-laced air fresheners, and instead bring home air purifying plants like Aloe Vera, spider and snake plants, bamboo palm, Warneck Dracaena, peace lilies and more.
Boost your immunity
When the external atmosphere is toxic, what we can focus on is our own immunity by adding Vitamin A, C, E via fruits and vegetables like c
arrots, lemons, sweet potatoes, raddish, spinach, fenugreek (methi) and pumpkin, seeds and nuts to our diet. Golden spice turmeric, tulsi (basil), fresh fruit juices, jaggery and herbs can also be added to a detoxifying meal plan. Optimum hydration of the body cannot be overemphasised to flush out toxins out of the body. Consume fibre-rich foods and avoid packaged, fried, or fast foods as they may have preservatives, synthetic additives, and high sugar content. Remember also to get sufficient sleep.
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Get more information
Like all problems, air pollution is an issue that can be solved with more awareness and a synergy between different stakeholders. As a citizen, instead of passively accepting the way things are, try to learn how pollution of any kind is introduced into the environment and its ecosystems by humans through air, water, and soil and in the form of gases, metals, chemical emissions, smoke etc. Find out what causes pollution in your area. Is it the burning of fossil fuels, crackers, vehicular traffic smog, construction waste or unhygienic garbage disposal systems ? Once you get the specifics right, maybe you will also explore the solutions first as an individual and then as a community.
As a citizen, you have a right to clean air and reaching out to the media, local authorities and environmental groups to share your concerns are some of the things you could do to address pollution actively.
Tags: #AirPollution, #carbon, #climate, #diwali, #diwalipollution, #environment, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #nature, #plant, #Pollution, #trees
