air pollution

https://twitter.com/Dr_RVS/status/1074696228447899650 This tweet from a resident asking the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) if they have planned to kill residents near the Karnataka Development Compost Corporation (KCDC), sums up the despair of the residents over the years who have been residing in the area. A group of 23 petitioners including the Kudlu, Hosapalya, HSR Layout, SomasundaraPalya, Parangipalya( KHHSP) Residents Welfare Association (RWA), have filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court in November 2018 demanding the closure of KCDC citing it to be a major source of pollution. The residents have run out of patience with the government. "Filing…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities Bengaluru has thousands of two-stroke auto rickshaws, which have proved to be a bane in the scheme of things where shift to eco-friendly vehicles needs to happen quickly to counter the air pollution crisis the city is facing. And this is taking time, as the government's plans seem to be ineffective. In November 2018, Radio Active 90.4 MHz CR a community radio station did a study of government's plan to phase out 2-stroke autos and move to 4-stroke autos. They held a focus group discussion with auto drivers…

Air pollution has been a cause of worry globally. Economic growth of cities has influenced the spatial patterns of emission sources, directly impacting public health. Bengaluru’s rapid development and changing landscape followed by lack of planning has led to several urban concerns, with air pollution being a crucial one. Contributors to air pollution are unique to each city. Vehicular pollution is among those concerns that contributes maximum to air pollution in Bengaluru. Data indicates that 60-70% of the emissions is said to originate from vehicles. This makes the city the only one in India to be most impacted by vehicular…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities https://twitter.com/dr_rvs/status/1074692756843442176?s=21 The tweet on 18th December 2018 from a resident addressing Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Chief Minister of Karnataka pointed to the failure of Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) in managing the municipal solid waste that it receives and its contribution to air pollution. Municipal Solid Waste Management (SWM) deals with the control of waste - storage, collection, transfer and transportation, its processing and disposal in line with the best principles of public health, engineering, conservation, economics and other environmental considerations. However the mismanagement of…

[The article has been co-authored by Devanshi Chanchani, an independent social science researcher based in Bengaluru.] Poor air quality is a topic that is dominating minds and discourse throughout the country, especially now that winter is around the corner. To people with experiences from cleaner environments abroad, the contrast in air quality becomes ever more palpable and stark upon returning to India. To examine the possibilities of breathing healthy while on a visit to the city of Raipur, we decided to try out an air purifier from a company called Smart Air. The DIY Air Purifier from Smart Air appealed…

Dy CM mulls over temporary ban on private vehicle registration In an interview with The Economic Times, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said he is keen on finding solutions to manage the city's booming vehicular population, especially by ensuring that registration of new vehicles is put on hold for the next two years. His proposal is to stop 2500 private vehicles from being added to the roster everyday, and conversely increase the dependence on public transport. In the meantime, he promised to complete the white topping project within two years to sustain the load of vehicles. Parameshwara, whose portfolio includes the Bangalore…

Dear Readers, We have good news and bad news. First, let's get the bad news out of the way: Diwali firecrackers are partially banned. And now for the good news: Diwali firecrackers are partially banned. The Supreme Court gave its ruling just 15 days before Diwali on November 7, in response to a petition on the behalf of three children in September 2015, pleading for a ban on the manufacture and sale of firecrackers to protect their health. In 2016 and 2017, the SC had passed an order with many restrictions on the manufacture and sale of firecrackers in Delhi…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities The drastic rise in air pollution levels in Indian cities over the years has been a cause of extreme concern, especially after the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out that several Indian cities were part of the top 20 most polluted cities in terms of PM 2.5 levels. As part of a recent study by Aishwarya Sudhir ( supported by Co-Media Lab and Climate Trends), titled Bengaluru’s rising Air Quality Crisis, air pollution levels were tested for PM 2.5 (atmospheric particulate matter with diameter less that 2.5…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities Ruchika fumed behind the mask that her mother tied around her nose everyday. She had to pass through Peenya, the "dirtiest and "most polluted" locality in Bengaluru to reach her workplace. Her mother, a health expert, had told her "This is the point where pollution in 2015 was 1300 ug/m3." That figure in itself made no sense to Ruchika, till her mother added that the junction was 26 times more dangerous than the World Health Organisation's recommendation and 13 times worse than the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)'s  standards!…

High Court pulls up Palike for not filling potholes While hearing the Public Interest Litigation filed by four Koramangala residents including Vijayan Menon in 2015, the division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice S.G. Pandit issued oral directions to the Palike to complete filling 1600 potholes by the next day (September 20). The deadline was then extended to September 24 to ensure that there were no potholes on the roads, but the Palike found it difficult to accomplish the task, especially as the white-topping work was in progress. The HC appointed a commission consisting of  Dinesh Agrawal, Head of…