An idling vehicle emits more Carbon Monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons than speeding vehicles.

Around 300 types of organic chemicals are present in smoke emitted from motor vehicles. Worse, 80 per cent of these chemicals are carcinogens which cause cancer.

Sounding a wake-up call to the city planners, the State government and the citizens, at an interaction programme organised by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Regional Transport Office (RTO), Bangalore North, on Wednesday, mooted various proposals to overcome the hazards of air pollution in Bangalore.

The City has as many as 30 lakh registered vehicles and at least 500 more are being added every day. This year, the Transport Department has a different agenda for observing the ‘Prevention of Air Pollution Month’.

“Creating a sense of responsibility towards the environment needs intervention at all levels. We are educating the license seekers, initiating action against polluting vehicles,” K T Halaswamy, RTO (North) said.

Air pollution

“Blame the inadequacies of engine design, adulterated fuels and lack of service and maintenance of vehicles for the alarming increase in air pollution in Bangalore, which lacks the advantage which Chennai has - sea breeze and the land breeze which dilute the emissions,” R S Raghunath, Deputy Commissioner for Transport (retired) said.

“We have pollution monitoring centres for emission testing, stringent norms under the Motor Vehicles Act and Bharat State II norms to check polluting vehicles. But the City is facing a unique problem of inadequacies,” Raghunath added.

“Lapses in implementation of the law, inadequate parameters to check pollution - like checking only CO levels for two-wheelers and hydrocarbons and particulate matter in four-wheelers, are responsible for increasing pollution,” said K R Mudakavi, research scientist in the Chemical Engineering Department, IISc, said.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

*A weekly holiday for vehicles

*Removal of traffic hindrances like humps that

force frequent changing of gear

*Reduction of traffic intersections by building

grade separators

*Better town planning with radial roads, circular

railway lines

*Cycling and walking lanes along main roads

*Better engine design, devices to burnout

harmful ingredients in the exhaust

*Enhancing vigilance and monitoring to check

adulterated fuel, polluting vehicles

*Use of alternative fuels - LPG, CNG, bio-diesel

*Phasing out old vehicles

*Ban on political and protest rallies

*Campuses to encourage pollution-free zones