Vehicles contribute most to air pollution

PUNE: The city's air quality could soon be as bad as that in Delhi, courtesy heavy vehicular emission.
According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) data, the city's air pollution has increased by 35.7% since 2010. The percentage of pollutants in the air from vehicular emission has increased manifold as compared to that from other sources. Poor monsoon last year and below normal minimum temperature are also responsible for poor air quality in the city of late. Expressing concern about the rising pollution in Delhi, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis underlined the need for new green technologies and reigning in vehicular emission during his speech at an Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) event in the city on Sunday .

"The major cause of pollution in Pune is transport. Its emission has increased by 1215% in the past three years," sa id System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) programme director and IITM scientist Gufran Beig.

"Also, since the minimum temperature in both Pune and Mumbai were very low - lower than expected, the air quality level deteriorated," he said.

Beig explained that emission levels were proportional -though not directly proportional -to the air pollution. If the emission level could be reduced, pollution would also decrease, he said.



Mangesh Dighe, the environment officer of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said, "The level of pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter below 2.5 microns is higher than the prescribed level in the city .They have increased over the years. Vehicular emission -the source of particulate matter 2.5 -pollutes the city the most. The 2.5 particulate matters are dangerous because they could enter deep into lungs and cause health hazards."

"The dust particles or particulate matter 10 is also high in the city and above the prescribed level," he added.

According to records of SAFAR, an initiative of IITM, areas like Manjari has experienced a threefold rise in pollution in 2015 as compared to 2014. In most other areas, the pollution level increased significantly in the second-half of the year.

According to IITM, the black carbon and the particulate matter 2.5, including fine dust particles that can only be seen with an electron microscope and are more dangerous for health, have increased. Earlier last year, the pollution level in areas like Hadapsar, Shivajinagar and Katraj were so high that they posed serious health hazards to people with respiratory conditions. IITM, under its SAFAR programme, has found alarmingly high pollutant levels in these areas.


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