Bengaluru AQI 2024: Particulate matter high in 9 of 11 stations, 50% pollution from vehicles
The lowest PM10 measurements in Bengaluru are from Basaveshwaranagar and Nimhans.
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The measurement for PM2.5 was below the national standard of 40.0 µg/m³, Karnataka environment minister said. (Express file photo)More than half of the air pollution in Bengaluru in 2024 has been caused by vehicular emissions but levels of pollutants in the city are below the nationally prescribed standards, except for one class of Particulate Matter (PM10), the Karnataka Ministry of Environment and Forests informed the state Legislative Council Monday.
In a reply to a query by MLC K C Thippeswamy, Karnataka Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre informed the Legislative Council that the contribution of the transport sector in the city to air pollution is 50.6 per cent compared to 16.9 per cent by dust, 11 per cent from building construction and clearance activities, 5.9 per cent from burning waste and 0.1 per cent from industries.
“It has come to the notice of the state that due to vehicular traffic/emissions, road dust, and increased construction works, there is some air pollution in Bangalore,” said Khandre.
“However, according to the reports of 11 continuous ambient air measurement stations in Bangalore city for the year 2023-24, the standards do not exceed the national limit except for PM10 at a few locations. The measurements for Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Ammonia (NH3) at 11 places in Bangalore city during 2023-24 were well below the national limits of 50.0 µg/m³, 40.0 µg/m³ and 100.0 ug /m³),” said the Karnataka environment minister.
The lowest PM10 measurements in the city are from Basaveshwaranagar (46.1 µg/m³) and Nimhans (55.4 µg/m³).
The measurement for PM2.5 was also below the national standard of 40.0 µg/m³, he said. The low levels of pollutants in the air in Bengaluru suggest a low risk for serious diseases like heart attacks and cancer, the reply indicated.
According to the measurement from 11 ambient air monitoring stations in Bengaluru, the level of PM10 is higher than the prescribed national standard of 60.0 µg/m³ in nine of the stations with the highest PM10 measurements at Silk Board (92 µg/m³), R V Engineering College (84.6 µg/m³), and Kasturinagar RTO office area (84.4 µg/m³).
The lowest PM10 measurements in the city are from Basaveshwaranagar (46.1 µg/m³) and Nimhans (55.4 µg/m³). The measurements for Sulphur dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Ammonia are significantly low across the 11 measurement stations, it shows.
“The Union Ministry of Forests, Environment and Climate Change has implemented the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) and identified four cities of the state ie Bangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Kalaburagi and Davangere as non-attainment cities. Among these cities, a 44-point action plan for Bangalore city and a 27-point action plan for the remaining 3 cities are being prepared and implemented to control air pollution. comprehensively,” Khandre said.
“Further, to know the sources responsible for air pollution in four cities in the state, ‘Source Apportionment and Emission Inventory Study’ was conducted for Bangalore city by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bengaluru and IIT, Madras and accordingly steps are being taken to control air pollution,” he added.
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