The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) tracked the ambient air and noise quality in Bengaluru before and during the Invest Karnataka 2016, Global Investor Meet. Here are their findings.
Status of Ambient Air Quality
To know the impact of the Global Investor Meet (GIM) 2016 on ambient air quality in Bengaluru, air quality monitoring was carried out at 12 locations round the clock before and during GIM 2016, using manual and continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations.
|
Name of the Station |
RSPM µg/m3 before GIM |
RSPM µg/m3 during GIM |
% of RSPM I/D |
|
CAAQMS SG Halli |
115.6 |
85.5 |
26.0 % D |
|
Mysore Road |
160.0 |
110.0 |
31.2 % D |
|
Anand Rao Circle |
176.0 |
159.0 |
9.6 % D |
|
Hebbal |
209.0 |
121.0 |
42.0 % D |
|
Victoria Hospital |
138.0 |
117.0 |
15.0 % D |
|
EPIP, Whitefield |
253.0 |
242.0 |
4.3 % D |
|
DTDC House , Victoria Road |
159.0 |
213.0 |
33.9 % I |
|
Kajisonnenahalli |
93.0 |
97.0 |
4.3 % I |
|
CAAQMS City Railway Station |
219.0 |
240.0 |
9.5 % I |
|
IGC. Care Institute (NIMANHS) |
132.0 |
173.0 |
31.0 % I |
|
Yeshwanthpura Police Station |
65.0 |
80.0 |
23.0 % I |
|
KHB Industrial Area, Yelahanka |
126.0 |
146.0 |
15.8 % I |
|
NAAQ Standards |
100.0 |
100 |
|
Notes
- Before GIM – February 1st, 2nd; During GIM – February 3rd and 4th
- Increase (I) and Decrease (D)
- The Board has monitored the ambient air quality for PM10, SO2 and NO2 pollutants of Bangalore city at 12 locations using 10 manual stations and two Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring stations.
- Before GIM 2016, the measured RSPM values have exceeded the national limit (100.0 µg/M3) at 10 locations in the range of 15% to 153 %, and at two locations within the national limit.
- During GIM 2016, RSPM values have exceeded the national limit (100.0 µg/M3) at nine locations in the range of 10% to 142 %, and at three locations within the national limit
- During GIM 2016, measured RSPM values, at 12 locations of Bangalore city reveals that at six locations (viz SG Halli. Mysore Road, Market, Ananda Rao Circle, Hebbal and Whitefield), RSPM values have decreased by 21.3 % when compared to the normal days (before GIM 2016), because of the ban on the entry of private buses in CBD area during GIM 2016. At six locations (viz City Railway station, Victoria Road, Khajisonnenahalli , NIMHANS, Yeshwanthpur and Yelahanka ), RSPM has increased by 19.5 % – this may be due to the increase in traffic density in these areas
- SO2 and NO2 values are within the national limits (80.0 µg/m3 &80.0 µg/m3) before and during GIM 2016.
Status of Ambient Noise Quality
Noise level monitoring was carried out at ten locations round the clock using continuous ambient noise monitoring stations.
| Months | Limits in dB(A) Leq | Day Time | % Increase | Limits in dB(A) Leq* | Night Time Leq |
% Increase |
| Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, NIMHANS (Sensitive Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 50 | 60.7 | 21.40% | 40 | 55.3 | 38.30% |
| After GIM | 50 | 60.3 | 20.60% | 40 | 56.2 | 40.50% |
| Decreased | 3.70% | Increased | 5.70% | |||
| RVCE Mysore Road (Sensitive Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 50 | 61.9 | 23.80% | 40 | 55.8 | 39.50% |
| After GIM | 50 | 62 | 24.0% | 40 | 55.3 | 38.00% |
| Increased | 0.80% | Decreased | 3.80% | |||
| Regional Office Complex, KSPCB, Nisarga Bhavan, S.G.Halli (Residential Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 55 | 55.3 | 0.50% | 45 | 51.4 | 14.20% |
| After GIM | 55 | 55.6 | 1.0 % | 45 | 49.4 | 9.70% |
| Increased | 0.50% | Decreased | 31.00% | |||
| BTM Layout (Residential Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 55 | 65.9 | 19.80% | 45 | 61.4 | 36.40% |
| After GIM | 55 | 66.3 | 20.30% | 45 | 62 | 37.70% |
| Increased | 2.50% | Increased | 3.60% | |||
| TERI Office, Domlur (Residential Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 55 | 65.9 | 19.80% | 45 | 56.3 | 25.10% |
| After GIM | 55 | 64.8 | 17.8 % | 45 | 57.2 | 27.1 % |
| Decreased | 1.70% | Increased | 7.90% | |||
| Parisara Bhavan, Church Street, KSPCB (Commercial Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 65 | 66.3 | 2.00% | 55 | 62.2 | 13.80% |
| After GIM | 65 | 66.7 | 2.60% | 55 | 64.5 | 17.20% |
| Increased | 6.00% | Increased | 3.60% | |||
| Yeshwanthpur, Police Station (Commercial Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 65 | 72.3 | 11.2 % | 55 | 67.1 | 22.00% |
| After GIM | 65 | 72.7 | 11.90% | 55 | 67.6 | 22.90% |
| Increased | 0.50% | Increased | 0.70% | |||
| CAAQMS of CPCB at BWSSB site, Marathahalli (Commercial Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 65 | 57.4 | within limit | 55 | 55.3 | within limit |
| After GIM | 65 | 57 | within limit | 55 | 55.9 | within limit |
| Decreased | 0.70% | Increased | 1.00% | |||
| CAAQMS of CPCB at ACE Manufacturing System, Peenya (Industrial Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 75 | 63.6 | within limit | 70 | 57.3 | within limit |
| After GIM | 75 | 64 | within limit | 70 | 56.7 | within limit |
| Increased | 0.60% | Decreased | 1.00% | |||
| Whitefield Industrial Area, Graphite India (Industrial Area) | ||||||
| Before GIM | 75 | 66.55 | within limit | 70 | within limit | |
| After GIM | 75 | 66.9 | within limit | 70 | within limit | |
| Increased | 0.60% | Increased | 3.50% | |||
Notes
- Before GIM – January 31st to February 2nd; After GIM – February 3rd to 5th
- During GIM 2016, noise levels decreased from 0.5 to 3.5 % in three locations (viz NIMHANS, Domlur and Marathahalli), and increased by 0.5 to 6% in the remaining seven locations.
- Day time shall mean from 6 am to 10 pm; night time shall mean from 10 pm to 6 am
- Silence zone is an area comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions, courts, religious places or any other place which is declared as such by the competent authority.
- dB(A) Leq denotes the time weighted average of the level of sound decibels on scale ‘‘A” which is relatable to human hearing.
- ‘‘A” decibel is a unit in which noise is measured.
- ‘‘A” in dB(A) Leq, denotes the frequency weighting in the measurements of noise and corresponds to frequency response characteristics of the human ear.
- “Leq’’ it is energy mean of the noise level over a specific period.
Is there any information like where all it was expected to increase and where all expected to decrease?
KR Puram, Hebbal and Mysore Road were expected to be better. Were other areas expected to know any difference?
We are sitting in a massive gas chamber with our eyes closed. We need many more air quality monitoring stations especially near heavy traffic areas. On a recent cycle ride in electronic city, I realized how badly that area is polluted. Especially on the Bommasandra – Jigani road – one is assaulted by the smell of half burnt diesel, granite dust, synthetic glue and excrement. All the while a fellow rider was under the impression that the area is less polluted than the center of the city!
‘@Vishwas: The pollution sources vary that’s all. I go cycling on the Western outskirts. The road is wide and there’s hardly much traffic & empty sides all around.
Pollution should be less. Except that there’s dust from house constructions, granite and wood, a lot of garbage is dumped and burnt (which is the main cause usually, there’s always smoke or the smell of smoke most places). The road sides are feathery white, except that they are indeed white feathers as poultry farms dump all their waste on the road sides. We aren’t just polluting inside the city, but destroying our surroundings too.