Imagine living with the perpetual sound of diesel generator sets running in the background 24/7. For residents of MSR City in Thanisandra, this is the reality. Several buildings in the adjacent Manyata Tech Park do not have a Bescom connection and are dependent on DG sets.
Three months ago, KSPCB issued a show-cause notice to Manyata Tech Park for the excess levels of sound and air pollution caused by the DG sets, but residents say that little has changed on the ground.
Noise pollution
“After the show-cause notice, we met the KSPCB Chairman multiple times and were told that Manyata Tech Park had sought time to get a Bescom connection,” said Ravindra M., president of M.S. Ramaiah North City Residents’ Welfare Association. “It seems like a delaying tactic, as even now complete buildings are running on diesel generators,” he adds.
According to Mr. Ravindra, one resident developed severe health complications due to the pollution while another complained that smoke from the DG sets directly enters his apartment. Qasim Khan, a resident of Fraser Town, said that noise pollution by the DG sets used by commercial establishments is lesser when compared to vehicles honking all day. “DG sets are run only during power cuts,” he says.
A 2010 report on 'Air quality assessment, emission inventory and source apportionment study for Bangalore city' by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi showed that DG sets contributed between 21 and 38 per cent to particulate matter in Domlur during the study period. It contributed between 3 and 5 per cent in Kammanahalli (residential area) and between 8 and 19 % in Victoria Road (kerbside). It contributed significantly (between 8.7 and 31.6 %) near Indira Gandhi Institute for Child Health (hospital/residential).
Possible solutions: Soundproofing, reliable power supply
A temporary solution to reducing noise pollution from DG sets is improved soundproofing, feel residents.
“The easiest solution is soundproofing and improved acoustics, which is not being done,” said Ravindra M., president of MSR North City Residents’ Welfare Association, “They could also shift the generator sets away from residential layouts, as has been directed by the KSCPB.”
Trade activist Sajjan Raj Mehta says that the use of DG sets in commercial areas is reduced if power supply is reliable. “A few years ago, passers-by and people living near Avenue Road (Chikpet) had to face severe noise and air pollution due to DG sets being run by most commercial establishments. Today, with power cuts being fewer, most shops have switched to UPS systems,” he said. This has alleviated the problem to a great extent. However, during summers, when power cuts are frequent, the problem returns.
My house is opposite the DG sets. The whole night, the noise fills the room. I have sleepless nights and I get up with an itchy throat
A resident of Thanisandra
All diesel exhaust has been classified as carcinogens. The use of particulate filters and advanced technology will reduce the harmful effects of their usage.
Sumit Sharma, Fellow & Area Convenor, Earth Science and Climate Change Division, TERI
