Controversy shrouds Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s recent Air Quality Report as activists, experts question figures in Bangalore
Air Quality Quandary
As Bengaluru awaits the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP) to tackle climate change, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s (KSPCB) data from 7 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMs) has become a talking point.
The board asserts that the Air Quality Index is showing positive trends, indicating improved air quality in the Bangalore. However, critics dismiss it as mere “hoodwink tactics” and a “gimmick”.
Recently, supported by data from these CAAQMs, the KSPCB has vehemently asserted that Bangalore’s air quality index (AQI) has shown definite signs of improvement.
The data indicates a significant reduction in Particulate Matter (PM) 10 concentrations at five out of 7 monitoring stations in November 2023 compared to 2022, with a notable decrease in PM 2.5 at two out of five monitoring stations, the board said.
The most substantial drop in PM 10 was recorded on Mysore Road and near NIMHANS, with a nearly 28% reduction, while PM 2.5 also decreased by 40%.
Meanwhile, the KSPCB, after a three-year delay, has recently initiated action on six contaminated and 19 probable contaminated sites across Karnataka, including areas like Goripalya near Mysore Road, Mangammanapalya near Hosur Road, and the Mavallipura dumpsite near Yelahanka.
Prabhash Chandra Ray, Member Secretary of KSPCB, explained to a local daily that the delay is because board officials are compiling a list of contaminated sites requiring remediation.
“Once that’s done, we will approach the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to get the remaining sites delisted,” he justified to the daily.
Despite these efforts against air pollution, activists and experts are not satisfied.
Green doubts
Activists such as Bhargavi S Rao from the Environment Support Group (ESG) and Akshay Heblikar, Director of Eco-Watch, question the effectiveness of CAAQMs and call for transparency.
Rao alleged, “Bangalore signed the Paris Climate Accord, but lacks understanding and action on key issues like traffic, waste management, and construction practices. Today, they are hand-in-glove with companies that bring out technological innovations. The government and its control boards often favour technocratic solutions, which, at their core, are nothing but a hoodwink tactic or a temporary solution.”
Heblikar too echoed doubts about the functionality of these monitoring stations.
He recommended putting photographs of the stations with exact location details in the public domain to address skepticism and “build trust in government statistics”.
“With the current surge in vehicle registrations, surpassing pre-COVID levels, claiming no additional pollution raises skepticism. To build trust in government statistics, it’s imperative to publicly share photographs of monitoring stations, including precise locations,” said Heblikar.
Rao also strongly emphasised the lack of consultation with the common people as one of the major reasons for failures of efforts undertaken by the KSPCB in this regard.
“Regrettably, the solution is often dictated by individuals in air-conditioned rooms, detached from the daily struggles of rickshaw and auto drivers who endure pollution daily,” she added, labelling the reliance on techno-solutions a gimmick thrown at the citizens of Bangalore.
Addressing the crisis
The activists emphasised the critical need to enhance public transportation as a genuine means of curbing air pollution. Heblikar’s proposal involves implementing state policies that actively discourage individual vehicle usage.
“We must prioritise and popularise public transportation. Encouraging metros, public buses, and CNG-powered autos as primary modes of transport can alleviate the notorious Bangalore traffic. Accessible airports linked to metros and subaltern trains can reduce private vehicle dependency, enhancing road safety for cyclists and pedestrians,” he added.
Rao underscored the significance of local-level solutions, particularly at the ward level. She stressed on the need for awareness and functionality of ward committees.
“The ward committees have to be made functional. Ward committee members should take an interest in cleaning up their wards and understanding where the pollution is coming from. Which is the most polluted ward? What are the sources in every ward? Try and fix those sources. Mitigate those sources of pollution and manage,” she added.
Highlighting the lack of communication between government bodies, Rao expressed concern, “The country is being run by parastatals in every state. I won’t be surprised if they have a Bengaluru Air Pollution Authority tomorrow, right? You will have authorities and agencies for everything. And nobody is solving anything because each agency works independently. There is no collaboration.”