Burgeoning urbanisation along with unscrupulous and unregulated construction activities may be the general idea of development but all this has caused air quality to deteriorate considerably (Editorial – “Taking the road less dusty”, Oct.1). With almost all our major cities having a very poor air quality index, it certainly raises doubts about the efficacy of Central and State pollution control boards. Most people have abysmally low access to health facilities. Diseases caused by air pollution will only aggravate their miseries.
Gagan Pratap Singh,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Anyone who travels by public transport in our major metros will have a fair idea of the enormous air pollution being caused by vehicles. It is clear for all to see which vehicles cause the most havoc. There should be at least one day in a week allotted to confiscating and penalising the owners of these vehicles.
Rahul Yadav,
New Delhi
The main sources of PM2.5 pollution are vehicular exhaust and dust. To tackle dust, the government must focus on increasing green cover. There must also be efforts to check vehicle exhaust and engine tuning. Going in for cleaner fuels won’t help achieve results in the short term unless there is a long-term process of reducing the number of vehicles on the road.
Mohana Shankar V.,
Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu
Apart from the particulates, PM10 and PM2.5, one has to worry about other dangerous and harmful compounds. I had to clean the cabin air filter of my car recently in detergent and found to my horror a layer of black “sediment” at the bottom of the aluminium vessel. The stain it created could only be removed after vigorously scrubbing the vessel with steel wool. One can well imagine the damage being caused to our lungs.
Dr. Mathew Joseph,
Kollam, Kerala
