Stifled for breath: Hyderabad chokes on polluted air in 13 locations

HYDERABAD: Its official, the city's air is unfit for breathing. The Air Quality Index maintained by the

Telangana State Pollution Control Board

(TSPCB) shows that there are 13 areas in the city where

air pollution

has crossed the threshold limit.

So much so that the board has admitted that the air in these areas can cause breathing discomfort to people with

lung and heart ailments

.

The areas are Balanagar, Uppal, Jubilee Hills, Paradise, Charminar, Jeedimetla, Madhapur, MGBS, Rajendranagar, Nizampet, Pashamylaram, Bollaram, Nacharam and ICRISAT, suffer from poor or bad air quality, say PCB officials.

However, long-suffering residents of these areas rue that despite repeated attempts and protests to highlight their plight, the officials of the PCB have done little to improve the situation.

According to Dr A Durga, a resident of Fatehnagar which is just a stone's throw away from Balanagar, the air in the area has turned hazy because of the smoke emitted by vehicles.

“Many people in the colony have begun to develop skin problems and a persistent cough. The pollution in the air is evident, as we can literally see the pollutants float in the air. We have tried speaking to the

pollution control board

and other concerned civic authorities but all our efforts have been in vain,“ she said. Even the city's green brigade has raised an alarm over the deteriorating air quality.

“Most of the city's air is filled with vehicle exhaust fumes, a result of adulterated fuel. The civic authorities too are compounding the situation by burning garbage out in the open,“ said Dr S Jeevanand Reddy, a city based environmentalist.

He said the state government should improve the public transport system, which could reduce the number of privately owned vehicles on the roads. A solution, to this fuming problem, he said was to open the completed metro rail stretches for commuters.

“The government is using the metro rail as a poll plank. If they open this route for the general public it would help solve half the problem“ he said.

PCB officials said that there has been a considerable rise in the pollution levels owing to the movement of heavy vehicles in places like Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, Madhapur, Bollaram, Nacharam and ICRISAT.

“Apart from these areas, the constructions taking place across the city are also contributing to the rise in air pollution.“ said N Raveendhar, a senior scientist with the board.

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