State on the high road to pollution-induced morbidity

The Hindu , Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Correspondent : S. Anil Radhakrishnan
Need to curb vehicle pollution and ensure fresh air for all The quality of life in the State would soon take a nosedive and every newborn would be gasping for breath unless the Government and the people wake up to the reality of pollution-related health hazards.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The joy of 28-year-old S. Lekshmy (not the real name) in getting a transfer to the traffic wing of the Thiruvananthapuram city police was short-lived. A three-month stint directing traffic at either before the State Secretariat or the busy Bakery junction nearby has left her with a host of health problems. The exhaust from motor vehicles and dust she inhaled while working in the busy junctions had caused asthma, persistent cough and allergy.

A postgraduate, Ms. Lekshmy from Karakulam, who has been a police constable for three years, has lost weight and is on medication. "I have developed thyroid problems and asthma continues to nag me. I cannot stand anymore on the junctions and regulate traffic as I have varicose problems,"

The case of 45-year-old S.M. Nair (not the real name) is worse. A three-year tenure in the traffic enforcement wing, out of 23 years of service in the police, has left him with the rare Multi Drug Resistant TB. "The body has become drug-resistant and I am on treatment for the last 10 months. I am having cold for the last three months. I lost weight and vomited blood several times. The lesions in the skin even kept friends and family members away. I almost decided to commit suicide... ," says Mr. Nair.

Health ailments

. Instances like those of Mr. Nair and Ms. Lekshmy are not isolated in the State. "The pollution caused by motor vehicles is creating problems for the personnel who are forced to stand in the road for six hours at a stretch. As many as 15 per cent of the 350-strong traffic police personnel in the city are on leave daily citing health ailments," says M. Radhakrishnan Nair, former Circle Inspector, Traffic, in the city police.

"When a vehicle is forced to idle for long intervals due to traffic jam or at signals, the emission level is much higher than that when it is running at a given speed. This exposes the traffic personnel at the junctions to health hazards," says T. Elangovan, former director, National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC).

These health hazards are not confined to the traffic police alone. All those who live in the city suffer from the effects of noxious fumes emitted by motor vehicles; thick smoke that buses and other vehicles spew is a common sight even though they possess the mandatory Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. Two-wheeler riders and pedestrians are the worst hit. Motorcyclists are forced to inhale it while riding behind these vehicles through the narrow and congested roads. Air pollution can cause health problems including burning eyes and nose, rashes on the body, throat irritation and breathing problems.

Some chemicals found in the polluted air can cause cancer, birth defects, brain and nerve damage and long-term injury to the lungs. Suspended Particulate Matter below 10 microns can cause respiratory diseases. Carbon monoxide in blood can lead to neurological disorders and a lower IQ among children. A recent household survey of 50,000 adult deaths in the capital has revealed that 12 per cent are due to respiratory diseases. Gastroenterologist and executive director of Population Health and Research Institute K.T. Shenoy says there has been a three-fold increase in chronic diseases and two-fold increase in premature deaths during the last decade. Children getting asthma, pneumonia and allergies are also on the increase, he says.

NATPAC study

A study carried out by NATPAC has estimated that motor vehicles are emitting 210 tonnes of gaseous pollutants daily in the capital. The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has 12 centres, including four in Thiruvananthapuram, in the State to monitor the ambient air quality. "The parameters are well under control for Kerala when compared to other States. The parameters at the centres in Sasthamangalam, SMV school and Chaka in the capital are well under the permissible level. But these are average figures'', says E. Jeyprasad, member secretary of the Board.

The State of Environment Report 2005, published by the Kerala State Council for Science and Technology, has pointed out that vehicular emission and noise from the vehicles are `severe' in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. This is because of the rapid increase in vehicles. The number of vehicles went up from 1.19 lakh in 1975 to 35 lakh in 2006. Personal transport vehicles constitute 72 per cent of the total vehicle population in the State and 77 per cent of the personal vehicles are two-wheelers.

Poor public transport system has led to over-dependence on personalised modes of transport. Heavy vehicles, especially buses are the worst polluters. The State has a fleet of 4,000-odd KSRTC buses and 31,000 private buses. The corporation takes the PUC certificate for its buses only when they are to be produced for the annual Certificate of Fitness (CF) Test.

Private buses

The private bus operators make it a point to take the PUC certificate to avoid being penalised. The Motor Vehicles Department and the police do not dare to check the buses even if they emit thick fumes as the drivers hold the threat of flash strike if penalized for violating the norms. Dirty air filters, defective valves, failure to service the engine nozzle and diesel pumps and lack of periodic maintenance of buses are cited as the main reasons by mechanics for high exhaust levels. Till 1989, it was the PCB who oversaw the vehicle pollution. The Motor Vehicles Department, which is to crack the whip on the polluting vehicles, only checks the validity of the PUC certificate being issued from the 594 authorised pollution testing centres located in 14 districts of the State. Lack of adequate staff in the department, use of pirated software by the testing centres in issuing certificates and lack of enforcement of the laws are the factors that prevents a crackdown on polluting vehicles.

Obvious solution

Quality of air might be better in Kerala than in other States, but air pollution still needs to be reduced. How can this be done? Transport planners are not short of ideas (see chart `What cane be done?'). But the obvious solution is the strict enforcement of laws and penalties for those driving dirty vehicles!

The department has initiated steps to upgrade the testing centres and to it make them foolproof to prevent unauthorised issuance of PUC certificates, says Alex Paul, secretary, State Transport Authority. "We would crack down on the erring motorists who violate the laws," he adds. The ideal long-term solution would be better public transport systems like Metro Railway, Elevated Light Rapid Transit System as suggested for Kochi and Mass Rapid Transit System. With Metro and other rail-based modes of public transport system unlikely to fall in place in the near future, the only viable alternative is to have bigger buses. But for the buses to be able to move fast through the cities you need good roads, segregated bus bays, bus lanes and traffic segregation. And then you need cleaner fuel.

 
SOURCE : The Hindu, Tuesday, November 7, 2006
 


Back to pevious page



The NetworkAbout Us  |  Our Partners  |  Concepts   
Resources :  Databases  |  Publications  |  Media Guide  |  Suggested Links
Happenings :  News  |  Events  |  Opinion Polls  |  Case Studies
Contact :  Guest Book  |  FAQs |  Email Us