Lung billboard set up in Amritsar to highlight harmful effects of air pollution

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 8

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Amritsar, an interactive art installation comprising giant-sized faux lungs was installed at the Novelty Chowk — one of the busiest routes in the city — to create public awareness on the health impact of breathing in polluted air.

These lungs, titled ‘The Billboard that Breathes’, were installed in presence of Local Bodies Minister Punjab Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Rishi, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax Jahanzeb Akhtar, Members of Clean Air Punjab and volunteers of several NGOs from the city.

The awareness drive has been spearheaded by EcoSikh in collaboration with the Amritsar Municipal Corporation and Clean Air Punjab — a citizen’s collective working on the issue of air pollution. Minister Nijjar said, “To address the issue of air pollution, affirmative action is required. The most significant aspect that is frequently overlooked is construction and demolition waste (C&D waste). This demolition waste creates a nuisance in cities. The city belongs to everyone and it’s a collective duty of all of us to keep it clean. The public should be aware that C&D plants exist in cities where all waste is recycled following C&D rules. In addition, we have increased the number of mechanised sweepers throughout the city.”

Municipal Commissioner Rishi stressed that Amritsar’s air quality is crucial to its growth as a liveable city. “The Amritsar Municipal Corporation is concerned about rising air pollution, and we are taking all necessary steps to improve the city’s air quality. We hope that the ‘lungs’ billboard raises public awareness on the issue and that we can work together to improve the air quality in the city,” added Rishi. Amritsar was in the list of top-ten most polluted cities in the country in 2021 and while its air quality has improved over the years, air pollution is still a matter of grave concern.

Amritsar Income Tax Department Chief Commissioner Jahanzeb Akhtar has strongly advocated for the ‘My garbage, my responsibility’ initiative and stated that we should not send our waste to the Bhagtanwala dump site, which is accumulating tonnes of garbage every day. It also adds to the chemical pollutants in the air. She has also implemented solid-liquid waste management methods in the revenue colony. “We must recognise that any garbage is a resource. At the Central Revenue Colony, Amritsar, we are attempting to implement a zero-waste programme. I encourage everyone to come to see ‘Dharat Mahat’ and how resourcefully the colony’s people are utilising their wet waste by composting and sending their dry garbage to recycling facilities, making the colony self-sufficient in waste management.”

Dr Supreet Kaur, EcoSikh president, Punjab, said, “The giant lungs billboard is the most effective way to raise awareness about the health consequences of air pollution. It took eight days for a similar billboard in Ludhiana, to go completely black. We will ask Amritsar residents to look at the lungs billboard and consider the issue of rising air pollution in Amritsar. We are grateful to the Amritsar administration for their assistance with the public awareness campaign.’’

What are these ‘Lungs on Billboard’?

The chalk- white lungs have been created using HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters. The same filters are used inside the operation theatres, anti-pollution masks and other places to trap dust. The lungs have also been fitted with fans that will suck in air to mimic the functioning of lungs while breathing. Over the next few days, the particulate matter (small pollutant particles that can easily enter the lungs and cause health ailments) from dust pollution and vehicular emissions will begin getting trapped in these HEPA filters. This will lead to the lungs changing colour- from chalk-white to brown to black. The time it takes to turn colour will eventually signify how polluted the city air is.

The AQI of Amritsar for April 8 hovered between 94- 110 (as per AQI India website). The air quality is considered moderate to poor and the air quality deteriorated in areas near Golden Temple where the AQI measured was 124. The PM2.5 concentration in Amritsar is 2.2 times above the recommended limit by WHO for air quality guidelines. Carbon dioxide emissions and vehicular pollution is the major cause of air pollution in Amritsar.

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