K. Saravanan, a delivery boy, who travels around 100 kilometers in his two-wheeler across the city everyday, says that at the end of each trip his face gets covered with dust and his mouth tastes of mud. “At the end of each day, my eyes burn and I also have irritation,” he says.
With the ongoing construction activities and improper upkeep of roads across the city, dust pollution has become a major issue plaguing motorists.
Despite steps taken by authorities to address the issue at key locations where construction activities are undertaken, like Periyar Bus Stand, Kalavasal and New Natham Road, road users complain of intolerable amount of dust at these locations.
A traffic police constable at the Kalavasal junction says that wearing face mask has not given relief from respiratory ailments. “We stand at these junctions for eight hours a day and most of us suffer from cold, throat infection and skin allergies frequently,” he says.
A senior official from the National Highway Authority of India says that water is sprayed at regular intervals on the New Natham Road to contain dust pollution. “Within two months, work on laying bitumen road along the stretch will commence and it will provide some respite,” he says.
Apart from locations where construction activities are under progress, several bus routes in the city are also dusty. Driving through stretches like Vakkil New Street, Kamarajar Salai, Tirupparankundram Road, Arapalayam Cross Road and Anaiyur Road has become difficult, complain two-wheeler riders.
“While we ride across these roads, the floating dust particles enter our eyes and they increase the possibility of freak accidents,” says S. Kanagaraj, a motorist.
S. Rajamohan, Managing Director of Enviro Care India, a laboratory accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, explains that there are four major indicators for measuring the quality of air - Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5, PM 10, level of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide .
He says that dusty roads are the main reason for high levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10 at main junctions like the Periyar Bus Stand, Goripalayam and Kalavasal. While the permissible limit of PM 2.5 pollutants is 60 microns/cubic metre, the levels are as high as 100 at these junctions. For PM 10 pollutants, the permissible limit is 100 microns/cubic metre, but the levels are around 160 at these locations. He also says that sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are under permissible limits.
Dust entering the human body can cause asthma, allergies and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, says V.P. Arivudai Nambi, Associate Professor, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Government Rajaji Hospital. “Continuous inhalation of dust particles is more hazardous than smoking tobacco,” he adds.
The other area of concern is the exposure of food of roadside eateries to dust particles. Designated Officer of Food Safety, Madurai district, M. Somasundaram, says that over 10,000 roadside eateries are present across the city.
“We have instructed them to ensure that all food items are placed in a glass compartment to avoid contamination. We are also planning to conduct a programme to sensitise these vendors to food safety and hygiene,” he says.
Intake of contaminated food can cause diarrhoea, infections in the intestines and severe stomach pain, says V.N. Alagavenkatesan, a consultant physician.
