Lucknow, June 5: Monday was a red-letter day for Lucknow. Or, considering it was the World Environment Day, a green-letter day.
The city’s latest environmental score card — the Pre-Monsoon Report on Environmental Status of Lucknow released by the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC) today — said the average level of Standard Particulate Matter (SPM, or particles in air) in residential areas is between 1.5 and 2 times the prescribed level. And in commercial areas it is nearly double the limit.
Newsline did a series on the city’s air pollution with the 2005 data in the run up to the D-Day, and the environmental report card today showed little improvement. Indira Nagar and Charbagh topped the ‘crime list’, being the most polluted residential and commercial areas respectively, the report said.
It said the traffic flow is heaviest at Alambagh and Hussainganj.
The blow was softened to some extent with the revelation that Nitrogen Dioxide is reducing. Also, with the switch to unleaded petrol, the harmful lead emission has come down to negligible levels. But Sulphur Dioxide was found to be rising.
Meanwhile, the report found the levels of SPM and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM – tiny particles that can enter lungs) rising, especially in residential areas.
Water woes
Water is not safe either — ITRC tested piped and groundwater samples in residential, commercial and industrial areas and found eight out of 28 samples of piped water in residential areas contaminated. For groundwater, the figure was three out of 27 samples.
In commercial areas, four out of 16 piped water samples were found contaminated, while in industrial areas it was three out of six for piped and one out of nine for groundwater samples.
Emission rising
The rapid growth of automobiles over the past few years is one of the major causes of increase in air pollution, the reports said, though there is some good news: diesel consumption has decreased in the city over the last one year. Diesel fumes are thought to be more harmful than petrol fumes.
Who’s at risk?
According to the report, primarily the aged population, and people with heart disease and lung problems, will be affected by this rise in pollution. But increased air pollution could affect young people also — asthma is reportedly on the rise in Indian cities due to increased air pollution.
