· Traffic pollution takes a heavy toll

· Water quality, noise levels too are abysmal

HYDERABAD: Statistics narrate the story. The voluminous data collated by the Pollution Control Board on daily basis at different points of the city ends up painting a rather grim picture of the ambient air quality while what emerges for either sound levels or water quality is no different.

Till some time ago, pollution was considered a malady of industrial belts and housing colonies aligned along them on the suburbs. It has spread its tentacles to cover the city heart these days.

In a way, the air quality has taken a heavy beating in the last few years here what with the number of vehicles rolling out of showrooms increasing multi-fold.

No solution?

The spurt in the number of vehicles and lack of maintenance of old ones has taken a heavy toll pushing most environmental parameters beyond acceptable limits.

While the industrial belts languish in apathy with little respite from noxious emissions and surreptitious dumping, there hardly seems to be any solution to the rising pollution levels, caused by vehicles and haunting residential and commercial areas. The move to phase out outdated jalopies has remained on paper while less polluting fuels are yet to take off in the right earnest.

The sight of vehicles belching thick fumes on the city roads continues to leave a trail of pollution and unease for those around.

The noxious `mercaptan' too keeps rearing its head at regular intervals and contrary to popular belief that such pollution is restricted to industrial areas, it gets carried to the residential areas.

Following outcry against the emissions that cause nausea, unease and suspected to pose health hazards, authorities did come out with several measures but all appear to have gone in vain.

No different are the reports on the quality levels at different water bodies strewn all over the city and suburbs. The pollution board data on the Hussainsagar Lake that divides the twin cities happens to be just an example.

Measures to restore the water bodies continued to be discussed and debated and despite repeated assurances and plans, there has not been much headway in the direction. Another key parameter, noise levels, too have been going haywire to shoot beyond norms in most places and even compassing locations such as hospitals and educational institutions that according to guidelines in vogue, should be maintained as silent zones. The recent times too have witnessed the menace of bio-medical waste causing concern among environmentalist and common man while e-waste appears set to be added to the list.