Just a three minute halt at the dusty, noisy and congested Teen Hath Nath junction could possibly reduce three hours of your lifetime, say experts considering the toxic cloud created by hundreds of vehicles spewing smoke here.
Data collected by the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQM) of the Thane Municipal Corporation's pollution control cell from January to May suggest that nitrogen dioxide and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) at this junction is more than the maximum limit.
"The results of air pollution are alarming, the RSPM also which should be maximum 100 has been really high for past five months. It has gone up by 379%, the highest RSPM recorded was 479 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3). Regular checks on vehicle's PUC, urging motorists to stop the vehicle engine are some of the steps taken by the traffic department to reduce pollution at the junction," said Manisha Pradhan, head of Pollution Control Department.
Agreeing to Pradhan, the experts from ParyavaranDakshataManch (PDM) said these small steps can help reduce the pollutants. "Many people do not understand the importance of PUC, they do not realise what impact these harmful gases emitted from the vehicles have on the environment. The other measures can be plantation of trees at such junctions; medium sized trees should be planted as they have a capacity to sustain poisonous gases," said Prasad Karnik, president of PDM.
The RTO has collected around Rs 4 crore from April 2015 to March 2016, against green tax from vehicles over 15 years old. "The green tax is collected every year from owners of vehicles which are over 15 years old. The government is supposed to use this money to fight pollution, however, nothing of that sort is seen so far," said HemanginiPatil, Dy Regional Transport Officer.
The officials from Western India Automobile Association claim that vehicles are not the sole reason for pollution and other causes also should be taken into consideration. "There are other mediums like chemical factories, burning of garbage; dust at construction sites which cause huge amount of air pollution. PUC should be made mandatory for all the vehicles and measures should be taken to reduce congestion on the junction," said Nitin Dossa of the Western India Automobile Association.
These gases which are inhaled by hundreds of individuals who pass through the junction, can suffer from serious health issues. "These gases emitted by the engines are harmful for a person's health. People can suffer from asthma, bronchitis, dust allergies, redness of eyes etc. Residents should compulsorily wear masks which would prevent them from suffering any serious diseases," said Dr AtulGupte, physician.
