Jubilee Hills air quality hits dangerous low

HYDERABAD: If you are under the impression that Jubilee Hills is clean and green and has less pollution, think again. Data available with the Central Pollution Control Board and the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board shows that the supposedly clean areas are in fact getting polluted while “polluted areas” are improving a bit! The records from 2008 to 2011 throw up surprising figures.It becomes obvious that the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) level in the city has been rising steadily and crossing acceptable limits.The air quality in places around Tank Bund, Madhapur and the MGBS has improved substantially while it has remained more or less constant in industrial and commercial areas.However, it has deteriorated in posh residential localities like Jubilee Hills and Sainikpuri.The monthly average of RSPM levels at Tank Bund and MGBS were 81 mg/m3 (microgram per metre cube) and 82 mg/m3 respectively in 2008 and came down to 61 mg/m3 and 66 mg/m3 respectively in 2011.Madhapur also witnessed improved RSPM levels despite the increasing population.The RSPM levels recorded here were 71 mg/m3 in 2008 and 46 mg/m3 in 2011. No other region in the city has seen improvement on this scale.“Better traffic rules, new flyovers and parking spaces could be the reason for the improvement in air quality,” PCB officials said. The RSPM levels in Jubilee Hills increased by about 54% to 78 mg/m3 in 2011 compared to the 42 mg/m3 in 2008, whereas in Sainikpuri, it increased to 72 mg/m3 last year from 59 mg/m3 in 2008.The reason for the same, the PCB officials said, was increased vehicular traffic and population density.Gachibowli and Rajendranagar are the only two regions in the city which have RSPM levels well below the accepted limits. Both had air quality levels of 41 mg/ m3 and 34 mg/m3 respectively in 2011 compared to the annual permissible limit of 60 mg/m3.The major reasons for increasing RSPM levels, according to PCB officials, are rising vehicular traffic, burning of biomass and construction activities. Moreover, the industrial cluster around the city and the winds flowing towards the city also increase RSPM levels.Various stakeholders including GHMC and RTA have given their suggestions to improve the air quality levels in the city. Introduction of CNG vehicles and phasing out of all vehicles that are 15 years old can improve air quality remarkably, a PCB official said.A senior environmental scientist at the PCB said, “RSPM levels are the most dangerous component of airbourne particulate contamination that leads to diseases like asthma, migraine, cancer and even heart attacks.