BENGALURU: Environmentalists have warned that if Bengaluru continues to grow at the same rate, it could soon catch up with Delhi’s pollution levels. Two major reasons that contribute to the city’s rising air pollution are increase in number of vehicles and loss of green cover. Environmentalist Durgesh Agrahari, Head of Partnerships and Projects at the NGO SayTrees, attributes one more reason — construction activities.
Agrahari said the government needs to set up satellite towns outside the city which could also be IT hubs.
“The government should forecast development for the next 10 years and then plan accordingly,” he added.
Environmentalist and director of Eco Watch Akshay Heblikar warns that at the current rate, it might take only 3-5 years for the city’s pollution levels to reach those of Delhi. He says one of the problems is in spite of having strict pollution control norms on paper, they were not being enforced.
Heblikar also blamed lack of timely planning by authorities for public transport for the present situation. “We should have had Metro at least 20 years ago,” he said.“While Delhi’s contour is largely flat, Bengaluru’s is not. So pollutants in Bengaluru will be held closer to the ground, hence affecting people more,” he added.