Hyderabad: Walking the roads of this city has become increasingly difficult in recent days with a majority of pedestrian spaces being converted into road space in order to accommodate the constantly rising number of vehicles.
What’s worse, that’s not all: the rise in the number of vehicles has led to a proportional rise in pollution, say environmentalists.
The situation in the city, they say, has been worsening. If there were a total of 2 lakh vehicles in the city in 2009, it is projected to reach 74 lakh by 2025.
“The rise in the number of vehicles has led to an increase in pollution on and around roads. It is pedestrians who are at the receiving end, as they have bear the brunt of the pollution that comes from the exhaust pipes,” Dr D. Saha, an air pollution expert empanelled with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), told Deccan Chronicle. He also added that these exhaust emissions consist of improperly burnt hydrocarbons which cause very adverse health impact. “The fumes let out from these vehicles have left pedestrians with breathing difficulties. Over 99 per cent of the roads are teeming with vehicles,” he adds
Mr T. Venkateshwara Reddy, assistant professor at the Nalanda Institute of Engineering and Technology, says, “There is a lot of exhaust smoke that emanates from the buses. There has to be a means to control it.”
Also, a large number of people have developed respiratory symptoms in locations that are close to traffic-prone areas. The exhaust of these vehicles is largely released into the open air which is breathed in by pedestrians, said an official of the TSPCB.
