Dr. Rahul Patil is a Consultant Cardiologist and Head of Premature Coronary Artery Disease Division at the Jayaveda Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bangalore. He is carrying out a study on the effects of air pollution on cardiovascular health in patients below the age of 40.

“I was surprised to see an increase in heart attacks in younger people, without them having any of traditional risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes or obesity. With taking a closer look I found that many of these patients were either an auto or taxi driver from in and around Bengaluru. They are the worst hit as they are often stranded in bad traffic for long hours, and are exposed to high levels of pollution.”

“In order to reduce risk of heart diseases in Bengaluru, reduction of traffic especially its pile up at junctions is essential. As a measure of precaution, areas with dense pollution and high PM2.5 pile up should be avoided for regular walking and cycling “

Suresh Vajapayam is a 66 year old retired bank employee. He’s been suffering from asthma for the last 45 years and has been on medication since then. He lives in Banshankari, a southern part of Bengaluru and spends most of his time indoors.

“I have been on inhalers for the last 40 years and I am a chronic asthma patient. I use a two wheeler to commute and the emissions and exhaust from the vehicles and road dust triggers an attack immediately and I carry my inhaler in my pocket at all times. Increased vehicular pollution and road dust has resulted in increased use of inhalers and medication. Back in the day in the 90’s, one inhaler used to 20-25 days and in the last 7-8 years it doesn’t last more than 10 days. I take many more puffs than I used to a few years ago. The air quality in winters in the city seems to be impacting me much more, the months of October to January are the worst for me”.

Dr. Prashanth is a researcher at St. John’s Research Institute and Medical College, with a background in maternal and child health. Dr. Prashanth and his colleagues were instrumental in bringing together the first-ever meeting of Bengaluru health sector representatives committed to cleaning up the air.

“It’s essential that there is better monitoring of air quality in Bengaluru, to improve our understanding of individual exposure patterns in the city. Traffic and dust are the main contributors to poor air, so we should know more about the pollution concentrations at hotspots in our city.”

“As a health researcher, my goal is to bring together a comprehensive picture of air pollution in our city, including hotspots where people are particularly exposed. Data on the magnitude of pollution will help guide policy makers in appropriate long term measures in tackling this public health challenge”

Whitefield Rising is community action group, bringing together people living and working in Whitefield, a district in Bangalore, to address matters of importance, including water, traffic, trees and pollution.

Quote of volunteer Clement Jayakumar :

“Understanding air quality even for the highly educated residents of Urban India has been a major challenge. I am confident that the Healthy Air Coalition would help take a major leap in promoting awareness, establishing reliable air quality data and promote measures to improve air quality”.

Sathya Sankaran is a cycling activist with a drive to increase cycling in Bengaluru. He is also the Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru, which is part of a global initiative of cycling changemakers, or Bicycle Mayors, with a clear mission for half of all city trips to be taken by bike by 2030.

“In Bengaluru, like many other cities in developing nations, cars are the new cow. With 36% of school children suffering from reduced lung capacity in Bengaluru, it is our duty as citizens to tackle air pollution and transform cities into healthier, happier and more sustainable places to live.”

“Our focus should be on shifting public attitudes away from sources of air pollution towards walking and cycling that would bring health and economic benefits to people in Bengaluru.”