Hyderabad 365th most polluted global city

Hyderabad: Jago Sarkar Jago. Telangana in general and Hyderabad in particular is competing fast with Delhi in terms of increasing air pollution. It’s time for the government and opposition to realise this before they are forced to close schools and offices as is being done in national capital, say experts and the people who are suffering from the effects of severe pollution.

Currently, Hyderabad ranks 365th among the most polluted cities globally. In Hyderabad, it is 12.9 times more than WHO’s annual air quality guideline value.

According to official data on Thursday, Zoo Park recorded the highest AQI of 167 followed by ICRISAT, Patancheru and IDA, Pashamylaram which recorded 157. The areas which always had satisfactory AQI at present recorded moderate and poor including at Kompally, Gachibowli, Karmangat, Sanathnagar, and Shamshabad and in these areas Particulate Matter (PM) levels have seen drastic increase of up to 100 times the recommended values.

Even in the prestigious and expensive areas of city like Gachibowli, Kokapet and other areas, the air quality is recorded as poor.

Talking to Hans India, people living in these areas said that they have been facing several health problems including respiratory issues. They felt that neither the government nor the opposition is worried about such issues and they are more busy in slugfest and mudslinging against each other and holding political deekshas.

It is unfortunate that elected representatives are more concerned about political issues and not what is affecting the common man.

Experts said as per a study by IIT-Kanpur last year, major sources of air pollution in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area are on account of road dust (32%), vehicle emission (18%), secondary inorganic aerosols (16%), bio-mass burning (11%), C&D waste (8%), garbage burning (7%) and industrial (5%). Others constitute 9%.

Explaining the cause, Dr Syeda Azeem Unnisa, Assistant Professor at Osmania University and air pollution expert from the city, said, “Every winter there is an increase in pollution level in city and this is happening because the pollutants emanating from various pollutants takes time to move upwards during winter and that leads to accumulating in the air which leads to exacerbates the city's ongoing air pollution problems.

Along with this, vehicular pollution should be addressed, as every year a lot of vehicles are added that is also contributing to the quality index. Similarly, every year new industries come up and no one follows the rules which lead to air and water pollution. The Pollution Control Board claims they are monitoring air quality but the question is what concrete measures are being taken to reduce pollution levels? No industry maintains real time data on pollution control measures taken by them. It’s time the political executive and opposition wake up, experts add.