According to the AP Pollution Control Board, three major factors are stoking pollution in Vizag. The vehicle population has been rising 10-15 per cent annually. Second, industrial pollution has reached very high levels in some parts of the city. Third, the spurt in construction activity due to the Smart City project has increased ambient dust levels.
The Vizag Port and the city’s industrial clusters have pushed PM 2.5 levels beyond the permissible limits, reaching 42.5 micrograms per cubic metre annually against the limit of 40 micrograms. According to the APPCB, diesel-fuelled auto-rickshaws are adding to the pollution levels.
Also, medical waste from the city’s hospitals, and the municipal solid waste is being burnt at landfills around the city, sending pollution levels soaring. The burning of waste in Kapuluppada is one of the main factors in the rise in cancer cases there,” says environmentalist J V Ratnam.