Construction dust adds to pollution count

The Times of India , Thursday, January 07, 2016
Correspondent : SubhroNiyogi
Kolkata: Curbs on registration of diesel SUVs and the path-breaking odd-even vehicle formula in Delhi has put the spotlight on auto emission, but scientists believe construction activity is as much to blame for the dangerous concentration of particulate matter in the air.

At West Bengal Pollution Control Board, scientists have no doubt that the surge in construction contributes significantly to air pollution. "Pollution begins much before construction, when an existing house is demolished. During construction, a lot of dust is generated from earth, sand, cement and brick. They get deposited next to the construction site and then get swept all over," a scientist said.

ArunavaMazumdar, former director professor of All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, believes the dust from construction is a significant contributor to the suspended particulate matter (SPM) count. "Unlike Delhi and Mumbai, where major construction activity has been completed in the city proper, there is a lot of construction happening in Kolkata," he pointed out. EM Bypass is the worst affected where two large infrastructure projects - the New Garia-airport metro line and Bus Rapid Transit System - continue to generate enormous quantity of dust along with a host of residential and hotel projects. Every vehicle that drives by kicks off dust that gets circulated in the air and adds to the SPM count. The hectic construction activity on either side of Rajarhat Main Road and parts of New Town unleashes large volumes of dust.

Incidentally, streetside dirt accumulation is a lot less in north Kolkata where construction activity is not as brisk as the south, where houses are demolished to build highrises.

"Though the government and private firms are spending thousands of crores on projects, they do not spend even a fraction needed to control the dust. No one takes ownership of it, so no one is accountable. The dust gets recirculates by trucks, buses and cars. All that the army of civic sweepers does is transfer it from one place to another," said Mazumdar. Sprinkling water every couple of hours and paving exposed areas or planting grass are ways to manage it.

PCB plans to commission a study to pin the villains. A study done by Kala Gopalakrishnan in 1997 had attributed 50% of the pollution to automobiles, 48% to industry and rest to other activities. However, the situation has changed drastically since then with a boom in construction and an explosion in vehicle count. "The contribution of industry has dropped due to their migration away from the city and conversion of fuel source from coal to liquid or gas. We have to find out how much is contributed by what and then take remedial measures," said PCB chairman KalyanRudra.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Construction-dust-adds-to-pollution-count/articleshow/50474378.cms
 


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