CHENNAI: If the ever-increasing accidents weren’t bad enough, it is dust pollution that is the next major cause for concern - all thanks to the current road conditions in Chennai. Badly damaged roads are kicking up a thick layer of dust because of which, motorists struggle to see where they are going.
More importantly, on a long-term basis, doctors said that people develop respiratory illnesses because of this. Various points along Poonamallee High Road near Vanagaram, Thiruverkadu, and Velappanchavadi, suffer from this problem, said motorists. Other examples are 200ft Radial Road towards Thoraipakkam, Chettiyar Agaram Road in Porur, Taramani Link Road near Vijayanagar Junction, and Bharathi salai near SRM college in Ramapuram.
Though recent rains were able to bring down the dust along these badly damaged roads, during summers, motorists said its difficult to ride even with their helmets on. “Below Kathipara flyover, the road is filled with potholes. As the bitumen has come off at many points when it rains, water stagnates here and during sunny days, stretch is filled with dust. In both cases, accidents are prone to occur,” said Ganesh Janarthanam, a volunteer at Thozhan, an NGO which works towards road safety.
Doctors said dust mixed with automobile exhaust smoke, is the starter combination for respiratory illnesses like asthma, wheezing, cough and cold. Those who live alongside main roads suffer more, said R Sundaraja Perumal, a senior pulmonologist. “I had a couple of patients who live along such main roads and developed wheezing due to severe dust pollution. None of them had such problems before. Those who already have asthma or wheezing find it harder to cope,” he added.
Experts pointed out that use of low-grade bitumen for laying roads, is the main reason why the top part of roads gets damaged very quickly. One such example is the road connecting Kundrathur- Mangaadu. “A month ago, a new road was laid along this stretch. But due to its bad quality, the road is completely damaged now. When heavy vehicles pass this stretch, a thick layer of dust is formed,” said V Pughal, an activist and resident of Kundrathur.
Reshma PS, an expert on the laying of roads and pavements, said that the state government must pay more attention to the quality of bitumen and other materials used in laying roads. She also pointed out that communication gap between the design department and the department that physically lays out the road, leads to frequent damage in roads. “National and state highways will see a lot of heavy vehicle movement. For such stretches, high-grade binder plus aggregator should be used for laying roads. Even temperature at which bitumen is melted and laid, plays a major role in deciding life of that road,” she added.