What do you do when fresh air isn’t so fresh anymore? That’s a conundrum the city of Bangalore deals with. The pollution problem here has only been escalating and has been showing no signs of slowing down for a long time now. You’re safe inside your home with an air purifier, but when you step out and get into the city, you’ll find yourself exposed to a very unhealthy level of toxins in the air all around you. There’s no escape. In this post, we’re going to explore in detail about Bangalore’s pollution problem.
How can a city that is called the “Garden city” be among the most polluted ones? Does that even make sense? But it’s a reality. A harsh reality. How did Bangalore become this way? When did things become so bleak? Is there any real solution out of this mess? Let’s take a look..
Causes of Bangalore’s pollution problem:
1) Vehicle emission:
The biggest contributor to Bangalore’s pollution problem no doubt is the emission from vehicles. Although contributors to air pollution are unique to each city, vehicular pollution is among the top concerns that contributes maximum to air pollution in Bengaluru. Data indicates that 60-70% of the emissions originate from vehicles. This makes the city the only one in India to be most impacted by vehicular pollution.
One fifth of the commuters and households in Bengaluru are found to have produced half of the carbon dioxide emissions in the city, according to a study. Commute to tech companies has largely been held responsible for the CO2 emissions. Among all the sectors, most of the CO2 emissions were because of transportation to IT companies, not just in Bengaluru but in Hyderabad as well. Lack of strengthened public transport system, haphazard growth and unplanned urbanization contributed to wide use of private vehicles, which in turn led to carbon emissions.
People aren’t too comfortable with public transportation, leading to more private vehicles on the road. More number of vehicles also implies more traffic and vehicles emit more smoke in traffic.
2) Increase of dust due to unorganized infrastructure
All over the city there is dust floating in the air. The colder and less humid the climate is the more suspension of dust in the air. The air almost clears up instantly when there is a slight shower in Bangalore during its cold seasons. There is dust everywhere. The citizens often complain about allergies. Bad roads are to blame. Construction work is also a major cause too. Roads are being dug open on a monthly, even weekly, basis sometimes. Activist Abdulla A Rehman said that road dust has become a major source of pollution due to frequent digging of roads by civic agencies, which install utility ducts and leave them untarred for a long time.
3) Poor waste management
Few years back garbage was dumped at the outskirts of the city where there were no buildings. With the expansion of city limits, these dump-yards have become unavailable and there these are dumped anywhere in an open space and burnt there. Even though garbage dumping and burning in street corners is illegal, and in spite of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) outlining penalties for those who violate rules, the practice continues to be rampant in the city.
Garbage contractors, who are tasked with collecting waste from bulk generators like apartments, often dump the waste on the side of unused roads and set it on fire. “It is a cycle of collecting, dumping and burning waste. The contractors and pourakarmikas are under pressure to clear the waste they collect and often set fire to the waste instead of properly disposing it in landfills,” explains Kathyayini Chamaraj, an activist based in the city who focuses on solid waste management.
The most common forms of burning garbage is the burning of leaf litter. “Since those handling waste believe that burning leaf litter is harmless, this tends to be commonly burnt in the fall season. However, burning leaf litter is equally toxic and causes air pollution,” adds Kathyayini.
4) Lack of greenery
Rapid urbanization has led to rapid felling of trees all over the city. If we’re to be honest with ourself, Bangalore is no more the Garden city it used to be. It’s more of a concrete jungle now. Granted there is a green cover that survived those decades of rapid urbanization but it sure could be more thorough and widespread. Not everyone likes having plants at home, despite its numerous benefits, especially those of air purification. The reason for this is because of the additional effort required to take care of the plants and maintain them. People living in bungalows prefer compounds over gardens. This is such a shame.
Solutions:
1) Carpooling/Public Transport/Cycling
Reducing the number of vehicles on the road is the step forward in tackling the pollution problem. “Vehicular occupancy is a measure of the total number of people occupied in a vehicle at a given time. Increasing it by means like carpooling can almost halve the emissions,” said Dr. T.V. Ramachandra, an associate faculty at the Centre for infrastructure at IISc.
Taking the bus or metro to work instead of driving makes a massive difference. Not only will it work out cheaper for you, but you would also be doing your city good. Cycling or walking, the healthiest options you can possibly have, must be given consideration and incentives must be provided to those employees who decide to commute this way.
2) Electric vehicles
Earlier this year, Karnataka had sought Rs. 250 crore assistance under FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) scheme to set up 1,000 public electric vehicle charging stations in the State. This initiative is evidence that the government is listening and welcomes a greener change when it comes to the pollution levels of the city. Recently, a company called Yulu launched a series of rentable electric scooters and bicycle which are gaining in popularity. These kind of movements give hope for a greener Bangalore with breathable air.
3) Restoration of parks and lakes and going more green
Lakes harbor greenery and should be restored everywhere possible. All parks need to be restored too and should be taken care of by the government with utmost care. Trees must be planted at every opportunity, on the sides of the road creating a balance between development and safeguarding the sacred heritage, which helps battle air pollution directly. As mentioned above, people must be encouraged to introduce more green into their lives. Inside their home, outside their homes, taking care of plants is not as cumbersome of a task as people fear.
4) Living close to office
You would be cutting your carbon footprint big time if you moved to a home close to your office. Too bad it is difficult to find a home located where we desire, which is why companies like YourOwnROOM have taken the initiative to help millennials find their perfect homes located close to their offices. The growing popularity of these companies helps Bangalore in dealing with its carbon emissions one home at a time.
Conclusion
The colossal problem of air pollution in Bangalore is one that cannot be tackled in one day. The government needs to play its part in encourage non-polluting or less-polluting modes of commute. The corporations need to play its part in encouraging its employees to do the same. Most importantly, however, it’s up to us, the people. It is our city. We need to take measures individually to ensure that our city is not in despair. Future generations are going to be handed this city by us and for their sake, for our sake and for everyone’s sake, we must ensure the city’s air is as clean as possible.
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