Must act immediately to save Bengaluru from air pollution: Experts

By Kapil Kajal
An average Bengalurean breathes in air that is 3 to 12 times more polluted than the prescribed limits, a study says. With growing numbers of vehicles, resultant congestion and diesel usage, air pollution is a growing concern in the city.

A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that the official ambient air quality monitoring has shown a 57% increase in particulate matter in four years to 2015 and in more than 85% of the monitoring locations, the levels have exceeded standards.

Speaking to the media, Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director (Research and Advocacy), CSE, and the head of the Centre’s air pollution control campaign, mentioned that while Bengaluru has made some significant strides in meeting air quality challenges, the study has shown that direct exposure to toxic fumes is extremely high in the city.

“Bengaluru needs technology leapfrog, scaling up of public transport, integrated multi-modal transport options, car restraints and walking for clean air,” she suggested.

According to the air quality monitoring stations of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), there are 11 air pollution hotspots: Majestic, Mysore Road, Yelahanka, Peenya, KR Market, Yeshvanthapura, Domlur, Hosur Road, Jayanagar, Silk Board and Whitefield.

The hotspots have a greater concentration of fine particulate matter, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, black carbon, methane and heavy metals.

Sandeep Anirudhan, an activist, stated that the human activities in Bengaluru are majorly responsible for such a rise in air pollution including the vehicular emissions, industrial pollution and burning of garbage. While some areas are affected more, such as Majestic and Peenya, not even a single area of the city is now spared from the air pollution, he added.

Out of the 15 areas monitored by the KSPCB in 2017-18, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of only one area falls in the good category, while 10 areas fall in the satisfactory category, and four areas fall in the moderate category.

(Source- KSPCB)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the pollutants with the strongest evidence for a public health concern include particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide and the health hazards from them include heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections in children.

In children and adults, both short- and long-term exposure to ambient air pollution can lead to reduced lung function, respiratory infections and aggravated asthma and maternal exposure to ambient air pollution are associated with adverse birth outcomes, such as low birth weight, pre-term birth and small gestational age births, added the WHO.

Dr H Paramesh, a pulmonologist and a professor with the Indian Institute of Science, stated that Bengaluru is witnessing many health hazards owing to increasing air pollution as pollution levels are high in every part of the city.

Way forward

Cities need to invest in redesigning their existing road space and travel pattern and achieve compact urban form to provide the majority of the people affordable and efficient mode of public transport that can be an alternative to personal vehicles, stated the CSE study.

Roychowdhury stated that if cities don’t want to wheeze, choke and sneeze, then it has to act now.

“It is time to set new terms of action by reducing personal vehicle usage, upgrading public transport, walking and cycling, and leapfrogging vehicle technology and fuel quality to Euro VI,” she added.

(Author is Bengaluru - based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)