RSPM in B'luru air 126 pc more than normal limits

Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) in Bengaluru is found to be average 126 per cent more than the prescribed limit, Minister for Environment, Ecology and Forest Ramanath Rai told the Legislative Assembly said on Monday.

Replying to a query by BJP’s R Ashoka, the minister said that the RSPM was found to be more than the prescribed limit in 13 out of the 15 places in Bengaluru where air samples were tested recently. Some of the highly polluted places are Whitefield industrial area, near Amco Batteries on Bengaluru-Mysuru Road, Central Silk Board and Peenya industrial area. Whitefield industrial area has the highest RSPM of 230 microgram per cubic metre against the permissible limit of 60 microgram per cubic metre, he added.

RSPM is a fraction of total suspended particulate matter, and it is directly inhaled by people through their respiratory system. Increasing vehicular traffic, bad roads, construction of high-rise buildings and infrastructure projects like Namma Metro are identified as some of the main reasons for the increase in RSPM, the minister said.

As per a study done by The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) on air quality in Bengaluru, about 54.4 metric tonnes of dust is generated (dust of less than 10 micron) every day. The dust is generated from five main sources – transport, bad roads, building construction, industries and generators, he added.

Earlier, Ashoka said five of out of every 10 children in Bengaluru were suffering from asthama. “This is mainly because of air pollution. The State government has turned a blind eye on increasing pollution. No action is taken against the errant industries,” he added.

Rai said that the government had set up a high-level committee headed by an additional chief secretary to monitor air quality and take measures to bring down the pollution level. Ban on entry of heavy-duty vehicles and use of two-stroke vehicles, ban on vehicles that are more than 15 years old and restriction on entry of autorikshaws in central business district are some of the measures taken to bring air pollution under control, he added.