Less pollution this year
The Deepavali festivities have come to an end. It is time now to examine whether the celebrations have impacted the City in a negative manner.
Metrolife speaks to some Bangaloreans and government officials to find out about the levels of noise and air pollution and the garbage disposal during the celebrations.
Sneha, a resident of Chikkalasandra, says, “This time, the noise pollution was not as bad as it usually is as the number of crackers burst were less. It is a good change. I have two pets at home and they had an easy time this year. Thankfully, people are becoming sensitive.”
People living in many parts of the City, including J P Nagar, Jayanagar, BTM Layout, Fraser Town, Indiranagar, have similar opinions. Rashmi, a resident of Rajajinagar, says, “Truly, this year, Deepavali celebrations were on a low profile. When I came out of my house today, I was surprised to see not more than 10 bursted crackers. It is good that people are now aware of the ill-effects of crackers.”
B Nagappa, scientific officer, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), says, “This year, statistics taken during Deepavali are surprising. In the air pollution category, we have actually seen a decrease. A busy area like Majestic has been able to reduce its pollution by over two per cent compared to regular days. This is because of the continuous holidays and people choosing to go out of town.”
“Areas like Maratahalli, Peenya, Yelahanka New Town, Vijaynagar, BTM Layout have seen a decrease in noise pollution ranging from two per cent in Indiranagar to 23 per cent in Yelahanka New Town. This Deepavali, I guess people preferred to stay at home rather than go out on the road,” he adds.
The garbage generation, due to crackers, was also marginal. Rajneesh Goel, commissioner, BBMP, says, “During Deepavali, usually, an additional 15 per cent is added to the existing 4,000 metric tons of garbage in the City, everyday. This time, the addition has been marginal. Moreover, Deepavali garbage is not a pressing issue as the garbage generated is dry waste.”
“The real issue arises during Dasara celebrations when the garbage generated is wet waste, and that calls for a lot of strategies. However, to sort out the garbage issue in the City once and for all, we are hiring 50 environment engineers in the next seven days. We are also buying 112 acres from BMTC to convert them into seven different plots for waste segregation. We are also buying private land from various parties for waste processing which is within 100-km radius of the City. The issue will be resolved very soon.”
