Mumbai: Pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis and viral fever cases on the rise in Malwani and Ganesh Nagar

MUMBAI: According to the Malad-Kandivali Residents Forum (MKRF), cases of Pneumonia, Asthma, Bronchitis, TB and even COPD have shot up in the Ganesh Nagar Malwani belt, which, after Dharavi has one of the largest slum and shanty population in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In terms of air pollution too, the locality is very polluted and there are various other civic issues like garbage and general health care.

To reduce air pollution, the Malad-Kandivali Residents Forum team along with its chairman Dr Pranav Kabra at a press interaction, held last week at the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital at Malad had made a demand for a boarding point for Metro commuters at the Charkop car-shed in suburban Mumbai as according to them this move will greatly help reduce the traffic congestion in the Malad-Kandivali belt.The residents held a meeting later on which was attended by several people.

Says Dr Pranav Kabra, “cases of Pneumonia, Asthma, Bronchitis, long viral fever with chronic cough have shot up and children as well as adults are affected with cough that lasts from 2 to 4 weeks. Both kids and adults are equally affected by these ailments.

According to Rajesh Singh a mobile phone retailer who is a member of the MKRF, three members of his family were affected with long cough. Singh lives at Gate No. 5 at Malwani.

Sonia Alvares, a kindergarten teacher from Marve, also with the MKRF, has a similar tale to narrate.

Dr Kabra who runs a prominent hospital in the locality – Raksha Multispeciality Hospital, attributes these respiratory ailments and diseases primarily to the high air pollution in the area.