Pollution problems in Bangalore are reaching their height. It's all very well that there are so many cars on the road and they look really good but this only means that the air that we breathe is going to get more and more full of impurities. Soon we'll need gas masks to prevent ourselves from catching all kinds of respiratory diseases. Our kids will become asthmatic and we'll have to incur all kinds of expenses to bring back normalcy into our lives. This is supposed to be the Garden City and we should be breathing good, clean air full of oxygen. The reality is that just the opposite is happening.

Statistics show that the ambient air quality in Bangalore is deteriorating rapidly. The amount of nitrogen oxides in the air is 34 micrograms per meter cubed of air, which is quite high. The amount of suspended particulate matter is 200 microns per meter cubed of air, also high. There are also 44 microns of Sulphur Dioxide per meter cubed of air, another high statistic. Every year the numbers seem to go higher and higher and the average person inhales more and more impurities. It would be very interesting to find out the number of asthma, lung cancer and bronchitis cases that are directly linked to the inhalation of polluted air. The numbers would not be small.

Clearly it is about time we started to think more seriously about renewable energy sources for automobiles that are not harmful to the air. More electric and solar-powered cars needed on the roads very soon. As for the cars that are already on the road, well, their emission better be up to the mark or they shouldn't be allowed on the road. Which brings us to the subject of the notorious auto and truck drivers who use kerosene instead of petrol to make a short-sighted buck. The cops have to crack down on these offenders and take them to task. The smoke from kerosene is distinct and is easy to tell if it's being used. All it takes is the will of the authorities to do the right thing and become more vigilant about this matter. Time for a Vayusena right here on the ground if you ask me. What also makes it so hard to combat pollution are the roads in Bangalore. With so many bottlenecks and traffic jams cars are always traveling in low gear. This causes higher emissions and thus leads to more pollution. With the introduction of more highways pollution should be lessened due to the fact that cars will be traveling in high gear. We'll just have to wait and see won't we?

It's got to the stage where the air is so impure that you feel like you're trapped in a cardboard box or something similar and can't get out. These feelings of claustrophobia are unbearable and I'm sure that more and more Bangaloreans feel it every day. It's only when you get to travel and go outside city limits that you truly realize how polluted the air is in our city. I used to love walking and jogging around this city. Now I'd rather smoke a pack of cigarettes and stay at home, same thing you see! You'd better get up in arms about this or you'll just go up in smoke. Strive to smell the fragrance of flowers in the air again and get more involved in the fight against pollution. Designer masks anyone?  

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