IT’S NOT SAFE TO BREATHE

IT’S NOT SAFE TO BREATHE

The latest air quality tests conducted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) reveal that localities where the residences of the chief justice, the chief minister and cabinet ministers are situated are the most polluted

NIRANJAN KAGGERE & SAMEER RANJAN BAKSHI



No terrorist could have conceived a more ingenious plan to eliminate our elites. Bangalore’s air is poisoned, but for a change it’s the movers and shakers and not the hoi polloi who are in most danger. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s house on Race Course Road, for instance, nestles amidst a sea of green but what the CM inhales on a minute-by-minute basis is a lethal cocktail of sulphur dioxide, oxides of Nitrogen along with Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) comprising sulphate, magnesium, potassium and dust.
This alarming fact has been revealed by the latest air quality tests conducted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to ascertain pollution levels at 12 different locations in the city. And it is not just the CM who breathes dangerous gases everyday - there are many other VIPs including the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court and legislators at Legislators Home and Vidhana Soudha. The tests were conducted by KSPCBs mobile laboratory in January-February this year and the pollution level was worse at the residence of the chief justice with readings measuring thrice the permissible level! DANGER ZONES
The CJ’s residence recorded a maximum of 608 microgram/m3 (Average 330) for RSPM, which is thrice the national standard level of 100 microgram/m3, and 88.9 microgram/m3 for Nitrogen, for which the national standard is 80 microgram/m3.
The CM’s house on Race Course road measured 215 microgram/m3 for RSPM. The CMs office at Krishna near Golf Club recorded the highest percentage for oxides of Nitrogen with 160.3 microgram/m3 as against the national standard of 80 microgram/m3. Among ordinary localities, pollution is highest in Jayanagar 4th Block and Kalasipalyam.
Obviously, the deteriorating quality of air in the city is directly linked to ongoing developmental works including widening of roads, setting up of under-passes and rampant cutting of trees. It is ironical that projects envisaging safer and speedier movement of people will ‘choke’ them in the long run.
PRICE OF DEVELOPMENT
The 12 areas tested, comprising Vidhana Soudha, CJs residence, cabinet ministers quarters on Sankey Road, CM’s home on Race Course road, CMs Home Office-Krishna near Golf Club, Basaveshwara Circle, Hudson Circle, Jayanagar 4th Block, Indiranagar BDA complex, M G Road and Cantonment Railway station, were part of the monitoring programme to test ambient air quality. The tests were conducted between January 20 to February 10, 2009.
According to a senior official from KSPCB, construction work and increased density of automobiles are the main culprits. “Release of RSPM and other oxide gases is common during construction activities. However, contractors should recognize the potential hazards and importance of the area and take due measures like spraying water before digging and while transporting dusty materials. This has been the norm over the years. If you have seen mining works, they use of lot of water to douse the rising of RSPMs and other oxide gases into the atmosphere,” the official explained.