Mumbai’s Carbon Footprint Is Double The National Average

• Carbon Concern. According to data compiled by Dadar-based NGO the Environmental Management Centre (EMC), which has calculated the personal carbon footprints of 503 people across the country, the average Mumbaiite emits 3.83 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. The figure is equivalent to emissions from a small petrol car making 76 round trips between Mumbai and Pune (a distance of 165kms), and is double the national average of 1.4 tonnes. [Hindustan Times]

• Cool Ride. The BEST hopes to pass a proposal today for the launch of a daily AC bus pass priced at Rs150 that will allow commuters to take unlimited journeys on any bus in its fleet. The transport company is also considering the replacement of all its air-conditioned King Long buses with CNG-run AC Volvos. [The Times of India]

• Sick Days. With at least 16 new swine flu cases being reported this month, the number of H1N1-afflicted people in the city has risen to 100 in July alone, according to the BMC’s Public Health Department. “The change in weather and the lowering temperatures in Mumbai have caused the air-borne disease to spread so much,” said Dr. Mangala Gomare, the deputy health officer in charge of the Surveillance Epidemiology Cell. The highest number of infections have been reported in Bandra West and Powai this year, for which the tally of swine flu cases is over 150 so far. According to Dr. Gomare, there are sufficient amounts of Tamiflu, the medicine which is used to treat the disease, in municipal hospitals and dispensaries, as well as in the open market. [The Indian Express]