By Kapil Kajal

Bengaluru, Karnataka:

While the discussion on air pollution in India centres on Delhi and other north Indian cities, Bengaluru too is presenting a worrying picture. Though Bengaluru’s air quality is not as bad as that of the national capital, residents of Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai have access to cleaner air.

According to airvisual.com—an air quality tracking website—Delhi’s AQI (Air Quality Index) on November 10 was 371, which topped the list among Indian cities. Bengaluru’s on the same day was 162, in the unhealthy category, which is worse when compared with Hyderabad (145), Chennai (139), Mumbai (130), Pune (99) and Kolkata (75).

(Picture Source- airvisuals.com)

Jagdish Reddy, a Bengaluru-based social and environmental activist, said that while Delhi’s AQI levels are much higher than Bengaluru’s, the Garden City’s pollution levels are rising steadily. He predicted that AQI levels will touch 500 in the coming summer. In the next two years, pollution levels in Bengaluru is likely to cross Delhi’s as a lot of construction activities are going on in the city, he added.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) released in 2018, India is home to 14 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world and Delhi has one of the highest concentrations of PM2.5. PM2.5 & PM10 are microscopic particles present in the air with diameters less than 2.5 and 10 micrometres respectively. Inhaling these particles can lead to numerous chronic diseases like asthma and lung infection.

(Caption: The WHO recommends 10 μg/m³ and 20 μg/m³ to minimise the risk of health impacts from PM2.5 and PM10 respectively.)

B’luru vs Int’l cities  Internationally renowned cities such as London, San Francisco, Tokyo and Toronto have been effectively managing air pollution and are in a much better condition when compared with Bengaluru. While almost every big city in the world falls within the WHO limits, Bengaluru falls way short of this target. Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world but the WHO data pointed out that Beijing is decreasing its air pollution by 10% every year while Bengaluru’s pollution is on the increase.

(Source: WHO)

Dr Yellapa Reddy, the Governing Council Member, Foundation for Ecological Security of India, mentioned that vehicular emission is the major cause of pollution in Bengaluru and other cities in India. He highlighted that while other cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are reducing the number of vehicles on the road by improving public transport, Bengaluru’s public transport is lacking and also more expensive. Also, he said other cities such as Hyderabad and Pune are making the flow of traffic smooth by providing good roads. “Bengaluru is lacking in terms of good roads as well, so the vehicles stop at every junction and release carbon monoxide, which increases the pollution,” he noted.

Dr H Lokeshwari, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, (KSPCB) told 101Reporters that a list of actions that increase air pollution has been prepared. Apart from this, a 44-point list to tackle air pollution is also under way. She mentioned that the KSPCB has issued instructions to the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation to switch to CNG buses and told Namma Metro to complete the work so that people can take the metro instead of personal vehicles.

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