Mahanagar Palika sanctions 450 cr to enhance city's AQI

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP), the civic body of Bengaluru, is prepared to control the high AQI levels in the city and has set aside 450 crore for the implementation of new measures to mitigate the same.

In his budget statement, JayaramRaipura, the BBMP's special commissioner for finance, highlighted a number of initiatives, including the building of parks beneath flyovers and tech corridors.

Fountains will be built at 75 key intersections in Bangalore as part of an effort to reduce air pollution. With shuttle services surrounding metro stations, the promotion of electric cars, and other similar services, efforts would be made to turn the city into a green zone, he stated.

Yet, experts assert that it is unclear what steps would be implemented to control air pollution. Sandeep Anirudha, a civic activist, criticised the BBMP budget saying, "It is very obvious that the majority of air pollution is caused by construction activities, vehicles, and manufacturing or industrial activities, and there is no policy in the direction of reduction, mitigation, or discouragement of any of these."Bangalore city has seen "bad" AQI scores for several months; on February 4, it reached a one-month high of 139. The main pollutant at 119 on Saturday morning, falling into the "bad" category, was carbon monoxide.

In October, Bengaluru's air quality deteriorated due to the winter effect and Deepawali celebrations. An official from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) had earlier claimed that the city's ongoing cloud cover, which prevents wind movement, prevents natural air purification. Once the clear skies persist, the air quality in the city is anticipated to rise to healthier levels, he had noted.

The AQI has remained over 100 and even reached 120 in certain places this past week, according to data from AQI.

in, despite the fact that there have been clear skies for more than a month.