Mumbai: Rising pollution keeps children indoors, sports coaching attendance drops

(From left) Mudra Zagade practises tap ball at her home in Vile Parle, as she has reduced her kabaddi practice due to pollution; Ayaan Rustomfram plays football at home in Malad; coach Geeta Zagade at Dubhashi Playground in Vile Parle, where fewer children are turning up to play. Pics/Ritika Gondhalekar

Rising pollution levels and a deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) are disrupting children's outdoor routines across the city, forcing many to skip daily sports coaching. With parents unwilling to expose their children to polluted air, playgrounds and training grounds are seeing thinning crowds. Doctors warn that long spells indoors and reduced physical activity can increase the risk of obesity, weakened immunity, rising screen dependence and behavioural issues, among other issues.

Affecting children

Dharv Semlani with his mother, Pooja Semlani
Pooja Semlani, mother of four-year-old Dharv, said, "While we were relieved that coaching was suspended, my son was completely disheartened. He would insist on going, and it was difficult to say no. Now we make him practice yoga and draw, but missing those two hours outdoors makes him restless."

Ayaan Rustomfram with his mother, Kiran Shah
Kiran Shah, mother of eight-year-old Ayaan, said, "We have a big living room where he can play, but he gets bored because he loves being outdoors. He will not be able to hold on to his patience for long since he also cannot meet his football buddies."

Academy owner Ronnie Dsouza said, "As soon as my head coach brought this to my notice, I suspended coaching for a week. Hopefully, the authorities will act on a war footing. I have also written to the Mumbai School Sports Association requesting that school tournaments be postponed, but we have not received any response."

VILE PARLE
AQI: 163 at 9 pm on December 5
Past 10 days: Nine days of poor to very poor air quality between 116 and 180, and 1 moderate day
Period: November 4 to December 4 recorded 24 days of poor to very poor air quality

Uncle's Kitchen United Sports Academy (UKUSA) head coach Reuben D'Souza said, "In the past few days, we have observed that perfectly healthy and active children who would come for training daily have started feeling heaviness while breathing. We have also seen fewer kids attending, or they come only twice a week."

Senior coach Prince Anand Raj added, "We had our under-14 matches scheduled in the last week of November. But the children were struggling to breathe. Out of 22, only 2 or 3 come daily, and the rest come once or twice a week. We had to cancel tournaments and request that coaching be suspended for a few days."

Kabaddi coach Geeta Zagade
"I have been coaching female kabaddi players here for at least a decade. Never have I seen so many players continuously sick or absent. Most of them are at home, including my daughter, who sometimes does not feel like going because of the dust and pollution."

Thirteen-year-old Mudra Zagade said, "Nowadays, I end up playing with my ball or doing dance practice at home instead of going for kabaddi. It feels very heavy while breathing, and I keep coughing during practice on the ground."

MALAD
AQI: 157 at 9 pm on December 5
Past 10 days: Nine days of poor to very poor air quality between 128 and 177, and one hazardous day at 308
Period: November 4 to December 4

Aditya Gandhekar, father of Devansh, said, "My son has been practising tennis at Shivaji Park Gymkhana since he was five. For the first time, he said he cannot run fast or concentrate because he cannot breathe properly and often sneezes on the court. He practices shots at home on the balcony, but does not like it. He keeps requesting to go to the park. We fear he may fall sick and miss school if he practices in such polluted conditions."

DADAR
AQI: 172 at 9 pm on December 5
Past 10 days: Eight days of poor to very poor air quality, and two severe days

Doctors speak

Dr Riddhi Nikam said, "When a child who has trained rigorously since toddlerhood suddenly stops, the body reacts negatively. Muscles get sore, lethargy sets in, and children can gain weight quickly."

Dr Rashmi Joshi Shetty said, "When we do an activity we enjoy regularly, happiness hormones are released. When such activities stop abruptly, children feel lethargic and lose concentration. Parents must take extra effort to keep them active, because otherwise they quickly turn to screens, a habit that's difficult to reverse."