Respiratory diseases among industrial workers on the rise in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh belt

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, March 1

The deteriorating air quality in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial hub is taking toll on industrial workers with a large number of them falling prey to respiratory diseases.

The data of non-communicable diseases (NCD) secured from the Health Department reveals that in 2022, there were 4,490 cases of asthma in the district. Most of these cases pertained to the BBN industrial cluster, which houses more than 90 per cent of the state’s industry.

Air pollution in Baddi appalling

• Air pollution in Baddi industrial town is appalling and its quality has deteriorated ever since the widening of the Baddi-Nalagarh highway was undertaken and the Baddi-Chandigarh railway line is also being laid.
• Vehicle, soil and road dust contribute 24 per cent to air pollution in Baddi, industries and combustion contribute 21 per cent to 22 per cent, while the remaining is attributed to biomass burning

“The disease prevalence was slightly higher in women with 2,252 having developed the disease against 2,238 men. A majority of the 1,858 patients were in the 50 to 65 age group, followed by 1,347 above 65 while 1,112 were in the 15 to 50 age group. As many as 150 children in the five to 15 age group also had the disease while 23 others were in the up to 5 years age group,” says Solan Chief Medical Officer Dr Rajan Uppal.

“The prevalence of bronchitis was second highest among the NCD with 3,774 people, comprising 2,001 men and 1,773 women, diagnosed with the disease in 2022. Most of the patients were in the 50 to 65 age group, followed by those in 15 to 50 and above 65 years age groups. As many as 125 cases pertain to children in the up to one year age group, followed by 230 cases in the one to five age group and 348 in the five to 15 age group. The manner in which bronchitis was striking young children was alarming, as 703 patients were children of up to 15 years of age.

In 2023, there was a slight reduction in the number of patients of both diseases with 3,503 people (1,805 men and 1,698 women) suffering from asthma. There were 2,346 bronchitis patients (1,270 men and 1,076 women). The number of cases could be even higher as several industrial workers take counter drugs for these ailments from pharmacies rather than going to government or private hospitals.

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