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Emissions from vehicles posing a major health risk
Vehicular pollution has become one of the biggest challenge for new capital Amaravati as the number of vehicles coming onto the roads is on the rise. Breathing disorder cases increasing year-on-year basis as scores of people approach doctors with respiratory problems and allergies.
Vijayawada: Vehicular pollution has become one of the biggest challenge for new capital Amaravati as the number of vehicles coming onto the roads is on the rise. Breathing disorder cases increasing year-on-year basis as scores of people approach doctors with respiratory problems and allergies.
“Carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases released from vehicle smoke have become main ingredients in the air we are breathing. Oxygen content dropped in the air purely because of vehicular pollution,” said M Raju, an entrepreneur.
Ever since the city became temporary capital, many trees were felled. The electricity department is chopping trees and branches regularly to make way for power transmission lines. As cost of land increased abnormally in and around the city, many green belts were vanished. All these factors attributed for the drop-in oxygen content in the environment.
In the city alone 85,400 vehicles are plying. If we take transport vehicles that pass through the city into consideration, the number of vehicles crosses one lakh every day. Goods carriages and auto rickshaws top the list of vehicles in the city. The wrong tuning of spark and adulterated fuel (kerosene mixed in petrol) are the reasons for excessive smoke from the vehicles.
The city has 38,500 goods carriages and 17,300 autos. These are the main vehicles that cause smoke. Other vehicles have comparatively less emission. The educational institutes’ buses account for 1,770 followed by stage carriers 1,830, maxi cabs 1,400, contract carriages 370 and private service vehicles 185.
Apart from less content of oxygen, poisonous gases emitted from vehicles and others have been affecting health of many people in the city. “The number of people suffering from breathing problems and lung-related problems has increased steadily. The intensity of problem is severe in winter as the smoke remain in air for more hours. Everybody in the city has been breathing emissions from vehicles,” says Dr M Venkateswara Rao, a medical practitioner for two decades.
By Noor Shaik
