Hyderabad parks too choke on polluted air

Walkers beware! City parks that are considered to be the lungs of the city are not as pristine as we would expect. They are recording respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) above permissible levels.

If you are not breathing easily as you walk along the Necklace Road or visit Lumbini or NTR Park, it is because the Buddha Purnima Project Area has been reporting monthly average RSPM ranging between 83 to 93 and TSPM of around 260 to 270 micrograms per cubic metre, according to the AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB).

This is much above the permissible levels in these sensitive zones. The normal levels in sensitive areas should be less than 60 RSPM and 100 TSPM as per the new national ambient air quality standards.

Despite steps taken by the forest department, pollution is rising in Nehru Zoological Park at Bahadurpua and Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park at Banjara Hills.

An APPCB official says that the lowest levels of pollution in the city are recorded in the University of Hyderabad and Rajendranagar Agricultural University areas.

“Even in these areas sometimes the pollution levels come close to the permissible levels. KBR Park and Nehru Zoological Park, which are in sensitive zones, are reporting increasing levels of particulate matter.”

The Kurnool-Bengaluru National Highway that passes near the Nehru Zoological Park is the biggest source of pollution. Forest officials are hoping that once the Outer Ring Road is completed, the density of vehicles on this road will come down.

The Nehru Zoological Park curator, Mr Sarvanand, says, “We took several measures to reduce pollution. We hiked the car entry fee from Rs 200 to Rs 500. Earlier, around 600 to 700 cars used to be brought into the zoo. Now the number has come down to 200 to 250.”