Bad air, smog dissuade morning walkers in Lucknow

Due to early morning smog , we have rescheduled our walk from 5am to 8am. Even at 8am, the smog remains but it is less intense, says senior citizen

LUCKNOW As Lucknow’s air continues to be under the ‘poor’ category, morning walkers, especially senior citizens, are taking precautions, including wearing masks and avoiding early morning and late evening strolls, as the concentration of pollutants is highest in this period.

The air quality index (AQI) in Lucknow was recorded at 237 on Tuesday, bringing the air quality under the ‘poor’ category for the third consecutive day. (File Photo)

“Due to smog early in the morning, we have rescheduled our walk from 5am to 8am. At 8am also, the smog remains but it is a bit lesser,” said Surendra Paliwal, 75, a resident of Sulabh Awas in Gomti Nagar Extension. “We can’t stop going out for a morning walk as we are habituated,” he reasoned.

Dev Nath Chowdhary, 75, who came to a park with his friends, said: “The smog in the city for the last few days has made it look very scary. We fear this can affect us. We’ve started wearing masks when out on a stroll.”

“I’m highly allergic… I fear this smog can harm me. As a precaution, I’m doing yoga at my terrace garden till the air quality improves,” said RP Singh, a regular stroller at NBRI.

NGO doing its bit for public awareness

Lucknow-based NGO ‘Lung Care Foundation’ (LCF), working on awareness about environmental and health related issues, is engaging school children, prominent citizens and government departments to bring about a change in people’s mindset, said AP Maheshwari, former director-general, CRPF and patron, LCF.

“Promoting awareness amongst all segments of our society on a continuous basis right from schools, colleges, resident welfare associations and various organisations in different functional domains will provide the sustainable options to mitigate air pollution at its very source,” said Maheshwari.

“Our 25 core members, called the ‘citizen action group’ includes doctors, health specialists, environment enthusiasts and over 500 NSS members who are actively engaged in making people aware about the environment. They ask people to adopt environment-friendly practices such as using dustbins to turn it into a composting unit,” he added.

“Our team also makes people aware when there is garbage burning in their area,” he added.