Bad roads, traffic congestion add to dust pollution in Gurugram
Gurugram: Gurugram's bad roads coupled with traffic congestion have aggravated the problem of dust pollution in Gurugram. The dust pollution is the most visible aspect of poor air condition that is felt in the city. While vehicular pollution is attributed to be the leading cause of pollution in the city, dust pollution caused due to large-scale construction activities is further choking the city.
The problem of dust pollution can be seen along the busy traffic routes in the city witnessing various construction activities. However, this time the broken roads due to excessive monsoon this season have also contributed to the pollution. The adverse effects of dust pollution are further compounded with most of the construction firms not following the norms, a problem that was also faced earlier. Most of the areas witnessing construction materials and dust particles are not covered as was directed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Heaps of dust used for construction can be seen along various important routes in the city where the infrastructural works are taking place.
The areas in the city which are facing the problems of dust pollution are important traffic points along NH-8, Golf Course road, Golf course extension road, MG road and Civil Lines road. However, no mechanism has been introduced by the Government agencies over mechanized dust removal from the roads. Even as there has been an announcement to sweep the roads through the mechanized process, it has still not been done on large scale and dusty roads are still being cleaned through brooms.
"As dust pollution has become a major issue in the city, we may recommend the process of sprinkling water on the roads and dust removal mechanism to tackle the situation soon. We are coordinating with the officials of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram on the issue. The present process of cleaning dusty roads of the city with a broom has not been useful especially when there are a lot of construction activities which are happening in the city," said a senior official from Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB).
"We are also in the process of penalizing certain construction firms which are not following the due processes," added the official. Air quality level remained poor in the city with PM2.5 levels being in the range of 200-250 micrograms per cubic meter. The safe limits for PM2.5 are 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
