Amid air quality concerns, PMC plans survey on health risks of rising PM2.5 levels

Civic body to track asthma, respiratory disease burden.

3 min readPuneJul 30, 2026 06:31 PM IST

Pune air pollution, PM 2.5, air pollution,

There is a need to integrate air quality monitoring data with public health records and field surveys so that the findings can support air pollution mitigation strategies, said Madhav Jagtap, Deputy Commissioner (Environment), PMC. (File photo)

With Pune’s Environment Status Report (ESR) flagging concerns about deteriorating air quality, the civic administration has planned an epidemiological survey to assess the relationship between ambient PM2.5 concentrations and the prevalence of asthma and other respiratory diseases. This will help provide data on vulnerable population groups, pollution hotspots and disease patterns associated with long-term exposure to fine particulate matter.

Madhav Jagtap, Deputy Commissioner (Environment), Pune Municipal Corporation, told The Indian Express that the ESR showed a drop in good air days and a rise in levels of fine particles PM 2.5 and PM 10 and nitrogen dioxide. He said there is a need to integrate air quality monitoring data with public health records and field surveys so that the findings can support air pollution mitigation strategies.

2.6L Punekars with asthma

Dr Sundeep Salvi, noted respiratory scientist and Pune based Director of Pulmocare Research and Education (PURE) foundation has made a strong pitch for investing in asthma control. “Based on published prevalence estimates of around 3.5 % in Pune , there are an approximate 2.60 lakh persons with asthma of which 64k are children less than 14 years,” Dr Salvi said.

The expert has in fact in a written comment on the latest study in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine made an impassioned appeal for investing in good asthma control. As per the study asthma would cost the global economy nearly US $ 863 billion between 2025 and 2050 through lost productivity, disability and healthcare expenditure.

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“In India this figure is Rs 1.9 lakh crore. While India carries one of the world’s largest asthma burdens (32.3 million) a large number of patients remain undiagnosed and inadequately treated. Asthma is often dismissed as a minor illness but uncontrolled asthma leads to missed school days and frequent hospital visits,” Dr Salvi said.

“This study reminds us that investing in asthma control is not just a healthcare expense but an investment in the nation’s human capital and economic growth. Early diagnosis, access to affordable inhaled medicines, better patient education and reducing exposure to tobacco smoke and air pollution can improve both health and productivity,” Dr Salvi added.

Collective ‘writes to Mayor, no response’

Experts with Pune’s Air Action Hub, a collective of citizens, organisations, medical practitioners and academicians working for better air quality in Pune have been following up with the Mayor of Pune on recommendations they had given for actions leading to mitigation.

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Sharmila Deo, Senior Programme Associate with Parisar – part of the Air Acton Hub- said that a recent study showed increased pollution in the city leads to a rise in the sale of medicines used in nebulizers for asthma. “We had made a suggestion referring to this study that suggests data on nebulizer medication used for asthma can be used for surveillance. This method can be more convenient and can be piloted by the health department to provide a concrete estimate of the demand for medicines for respiratory disorders in government hospitals. However there has been no response from the Mayor’s office,” Deo said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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