Traffic's impact: Vehicle emissions drive air pollution in three NK cities

Hubballi: Despite having the Hubballi-Dharwad BRTS for sustainable urban transportation, the city has seen transportation contributing a significant 48% to its air pollution levels. Kalaburagi follows with 38%, and Davanagere with 28%. A study conducted by CSTEP, a Bengaluru, research-based think tank, has revealed these emission load figures across the three cities. The findings highlight the growing concern over vehicular emissions and their impact on urban air quality in Northern and Central Karnataka.The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) has estimated the shares of major polluting sectors—domestic, commercial, industry, construction and demolition, open burning, transportation (road and non-road), and road dust—in three non-attainment cities.Anirban Banerjee, project lead and a senior associate in the air quality team at CSTEP, told TOI that the transportation sector was the primary contributor to PM2.5 emissions in these cities, whereas industries and transportation were the major contributors to SO2 and NOx emissions there. "In Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi, heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) contribute to 70% and 76% of the total emissions. Priority measures such as retrofitting diesel particulate filters in trucks older than 10 years, increasing public modal share through the introduction of electric/CNG buses, promoting electric/CNG vehicles (two-wheelers and cars), and encouraging light commercial vehicle owners to shift to cleaner fuels need to be implemented," he suggested.The study covers 76 non-attainment Indian cities in total, and data suggests that only a few cities are on track to achieving the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) targets. The research spanning 2.5 years suggests that only 8 of the studied cities will be able to achieve a 40% emission reduction by 2030. Further, local emissions are expected to increase by 11%–45% in these cities by 2030, relative to 2019 levels, significantly increasing pollution levels.The study estimated the share of four major pollutants—PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and NOx—for the base year 2019 and projected the emission contributions from several sources till 2030. The outcomes were validated against transport and domestic fuel consumption surveys conducted in over 70% of the studied cities.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Valentine's day wishes, messages and quotes !