No smokescreen: Vehicles pollute city

No smokescreen: Vehicles pollute city

July 8th, 2009
By Our Correspondent

Bengaluru, July 7: Namma Bengaluru, already straining under the load of an ever-growing population, has bigger problems looming ahead. The number of motor vehicles in the city has increased rapidly in the last decade, competing with the burgeoning population, giving cause to worry about the likely pollution levels in the coming years.
A recent study by C.M. Lakshmana of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) has revealed that the rate at which automobiles have sprung up on Karnataka roads is actually higher than the state’s population growth in the last decade and continues to rise exponentially.
According to the 1991-2001 census, the human population growth rate in the state was 17.25 per cent while the rate of increase of motor vehicles was as high as 60.59 per cent. “Every decade sees an average increase of 20 per cent in the motor vehicle growth rate in any developing city. Looking at the way Karnataka is growing, it can reach an estimated 80-85 per cent by the end of this decade,” said Prof. Lakshmana. Bengaluru accounts for more than 40 per cent of the total vehicular population, a major contributor to the city’s air pollution, he added.
Over 31 lakh vehicles ply on Bengaluru roads alone with nearly 600-odd vehicles registered every day. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has taken note of the increase in pollution levels. “The respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) for residential or mixed urban areas in Bengaluru has increased from 67 micrograms per cubic metre (mgpcm) in 2007-08 to 125 mgpmc in 2008-09. suspended particulate matter (SPM) for the same has gone up from 201 to 343. This is a serious cause for concern as the ambient air quality or limit stands at 60 and 140 mgpcm respectively,” said a KSPCB official.
The increase in pollution from uncontrolled use of fossil fuels will soon be accompanied by drastic environmental degradation and severe health hazards. “There is an urgent need to implement strict vehicular emission norms. The situation warrants the implementation of the Central Pollution Control Board’s recommendations to prohibit vehicles that have run for 10 to 15 years and more from plying on roads. Environment-friendly mass transit must be developed in the long run,” Prof. Lakshmana asserted.