The temple city of Tirupati, a cultural centre and a major pilgrimage destination in southern India, might be succumbing to a phenomenon common to urban areas. There has been steady rise in population and the usage of vehicles here, which in turn contribute to increasing pollution levels of the city, a study by city-based researchers has revealed.
Link to the article in the Hindu
The presence of eight
hazardous air pollutants has been confirmed in the city’s atmosphere,
says a research paper authored by Y.V. Rami Reddy, Associate Professor
at Sri Venkateswara University’s Department of Chemistry and P. Muni
Nagendra, a scientist at Hyderabad’s First Source Laboratory, pointed
out.
Speaking to The Hindu, Prof. Reddy and
Dr. Nagendra quoted recent studies on Particulate Matter (PM10), which
attributed 82 per cent of particulate pollution in urban areas to
vehicular emissions and road dust.
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“We collected air
dust samples from ten busy locations in the city and analysed them
through techniques like ICP-MS, ICP-OES and AAS. Pollutants (less than
one micron) like arsenic, beryllium, benzene, benzo (a) pyrene, cadmium,
chromium, nickel, lead and manganese have been found in the ambient
air,” they said.
Increased construction activities,
vehicular emissions, road dust, burning of wood/biomass, emissions from
diesel generators etc., were to blame for the rising pollutions levels,
Prof. Reddy said. “Though some elements are found in low concentrations,
they can exert considerable influence on a range of health issues and
environmental processes,” he added.
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