After HT report, AIIMS may install HEPA filters

Delhi government seeks long-term solutions to indoor and outdoor pollution, emphasizing comprehensive plans and air quality improvements in schools and hospitals.

New Delhi

A student wears a face mask due to increased air pollution in winter. (HT Archive)

A day after HT carried a report highlighting the results of an experiment to show that pollution indoors is equally as bad as the outdoors, except in enclosed and controlled spaces where air purifiers are installed, the Delhi government and medical institutions where the trial was carried out called for long-term solutions to the problem.

The Delhi government termed pollution a “legacy problem it inherited from the previous government”.

“For the first time, out government has made a comprehensive plan to tackle pollution on all fronts... We will ensure that though we inherited a city left breathless, the Capital will be visibly cleaner within our tenure,” the BJP said in a statement.

Dr Nirupama Madan, medical superintendent of AIIMS Delhi, said that air pollution has an adverse impact on the entire city.

“However, we are now working on the issue at AIIMS. We have already enrolled experts to figure out what measures can be taken for tackling air pollution at AIIMS. The expert team will then determine how HEPA filters can be installed in general wards. We will likely start a pilot project in the upcoming months,” said Madan.

Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa emphasised the overall improvement in Delhi’s air.

“When there is pollution in Delhi, the impact will be felt indoor as well as outdoors. The solution parameters cannot be different for indoors and outdoors. It will also be unfair to say that the problem will be resolved within a year. It may take 10-15 years, but we have made a comprehensive plan and are working on it,” Sirsa said.

He said that the government is working on improving the entire airshed of the region, so that the Capital can breathe better.

Education minister Ashish Sood acknowledged that pollution affects children and schooling activities.

“We cannot say that pollution is sectoral and is a problem only outdoors. It is a big issue, especially for the vulnerable population of children and senior citizens. We are already working to reduce indoor pollution in schools and urge private schools also to take necessary steps,” said Sood.

The Delhi government previously announced a plan to install air purifiers in 10,000 classrooms in the first phase of a citywide initiative aimed at improving indoor air quality in government schools.

Health minister Pankaj Singh said that his department is already working on promoting cleaner fuel by increasing electric buses and Metro connectivity. He said that in the interim, air purifiers are used in his department and their use is being expanded.

Last week, the Delhi government shared its multi-year action plan to combat air pollution, emphasising expansion of public transport, strengthening last-mile connectivity and tightening enforcement against key pollution sources. A central pillar of the strategy was the expansion of Delhi’s bus fleet to 14,000 by March 2029. Metro expansion under Phase IV and upcoming Phase V corridors is expected to boost ridership, alongside the NCR Regional Rapid Transit System.

Ministers said that road-dust control will be strengthened through mechanised sweeping, water sprinklers and anti-dust machines. “For the management of construction and demolition waste, 250 debris spots will be immediately created in all wards. We have introduced automated misting systems, no fuel without PUC and other restrictions under Grap as short-term measures,” said Sirsa.

Experts, however, warned that poor indoor air quality in hospital wards, particularly in cancer, gynaecology, and paediatric departments, can have a major negative impact on health outcomes.

“PM2.5 particles are small enough to get deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream. High PM2.5 exposure in cancer patients, whose immunity has already been impaired by chemotherapy or radiation, can exacerbate respiratory infections, inflammation, exhaustion and slow recovery. Children in paediatric wards are especially vulnerable since their lungs are still maturing,” said Dr Neetu Jain, senior consultant, pulmonology, critical care and sleep medicine, PSRI Hospital.

She said that improving indoor air quality in critical hospital rooms is a necessity.

“Hospitals must provide healing environments. Effective air filtration, regular monitoring, controlled ventilation and reducing indoor pollution sources can all help improve patient outcomes, reduce problems and speed up recovery,” Jain said.

Delhi’s Opposition, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), said the report “exposes the reality” of the Delhi government’s claims of curbing pollution. “Instead of taking real action, the BJP government has reduced pollution governance to AQI manipulation and data fudging... Pollution cannot be reduced through paperwork, optics or numbder management,” the AAP said in a statement.