Breathing dust, toxins round the year

The Times of India , Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Correspondent : Shilpy Arora
For the second time in a month, 10-year-old Rohit Pandey, a resident of Vipul Belmonte on Golf Course Road, had a severe asthma attack. His condition stabilized only after he was admitted to a hospital's intensive care unit and put on oxygen.

The Pandeys moved to Gurgaon from Pune in 2010 when Rohit was just five. He developed breathing problems at the age of seven. "When I was in Pune, I used to play football for three hours daily. I could also run for 30 minutes at a stretch. After I was diagnosed with asthma and advised by doctors to stay indoors, I was forced to give up outdoor sports. Now I feel like a prisoner in my own house," says Rohit.

Doctors are convinced increasing levels of air pollution, caused by construction dust, have been triggering his chronic disease. "Pollution caused by construction dust can have a fatal effect as it increases the level of PM 10 (particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter that are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and causing health damage) and metal dust in air. These particles accumulate in the lungs and reduce their oxygen-holding capacities, which may lead to lung cancer, bronchitis, sinusitis, asthma, fibrosis, silicosis, etc. All these are non-curable disease," says Dr Himanshu Garg, pulmonologist at Artemis Hospital.

The levels of PM2.5 (fuel pollutants) are also high because of the high volume of vehicular traffic on the road and diesel generators used by various construction sites on and around it. Housing societies, too, use generators for power backup.

Like the Pandey family, many who chose to buy premium apartments on Golf Course Road didn't quite bargain for living in a dustbowl, leading to major health problems. Living at this address is costly, whether as a flat owner or on rent, but the failure of civic authorities to check dust pollution triggered by mega infrastructure projects on the road is proving costlier for residents' health.

The impact of dust pollution is felt more severely by construction workers, who stay at the sites. Some said gloves and masks were given to them in the days right after the National Green Tribunal ordered their mandatory use on April 7 but not any more. "Protective gloves and masks were given to us for only two days, when some officials came for inspection. Our families are directly exposed to construction material. Sometimes, it leads to inflammation and reddening of skin," said a construction worker.

At some construction sites visited by this correspondent, only engineers and senior staff were found wearing protective gear to cover their hands and faces. At just one site, construction workers were seen wearing gloves and masks.

Not just air pollution, residents living in townships alongside Golf Course Road also complain of rising levels of noise pollution. A 66-year-old who lives in a township in Sector 54 and suffers from a heart disease says he calls up police thrice a week. "It has become a daily affair to carry on construction till late in the night. Loud noise from a construction site increases stress levels. Every time, we have to make complaints to 100," he said.

TOI found out that nearly six complaints of noise pollution are made every month in three police stations � DLF Phase I, Sector 56/57 and Sector 43 �by people living on and around Golf Course Road.

Pollution caused by construction dust also has a major impact on flora and fauna in the Aravalis. "As the road is next to the Aravalis, massive construction hinders photosynthesis in plants," said Vivek Kamboj, an environmentalist. Illegal dumping of construction waste at various sites near the Golf Course Road also affects soil quality and has a negative impact on vegetation.

MD Sinha, conservator of forests (Gurgaon, south circle) told TOI, "Nature is resilient, so the construction process doesn't affect plants so much. However, if construction waste is dumped near a tree, it doesn't let roots of the tree absorb enough water. Dumping of construction waste in the Aravalis is a major issue. We have already written to the authorities concerned to keep a check on it."

What is the way forward?

The implementation of the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) guidelines of 2010 on construction is the need of the hour to regulate construction dust and air pollution.

According to an official of the state pollution control board, it is mandatory for all construction companies to check air and noise pollution once every six months. "Monitoring of pollutants and noise levels should be done by a construction company through a laboratory authorized by the ministry. The copy should then be submitted to the ministry and the state environment department that gives environmental clearances to companies," he said.

He also urged people to come forward to highlight violations of construction norms in their area. The NGT has ordered a stop to construction at any site where the 2010 guidelines are not followed.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Breathing-dust-toxins-round-the-year/articleshow/47241198.cms
 


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