HYDERABAD: Breathing keeps on getting difficult in the city as Hyderabad records concentration of particulate matter count that is higher than the maximum level prescribed by government agencies. In fact, the city is worst placed among the southern cities when it comes to air quality.As per the Air Quality Index ( AQI ) bulletin generated by central pollution control board (CPCB) for 91 cities at 4pm on Saturday, air quality of Hyderabad was worse than cities like Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Rajamahendravaram. Nationally, Hyderabad’s air quality was worse than 34 other cities on the list.With AQI value of 105, Hyderabad came under the ‘moderate’ category of air quality. If the AQI figures are under ‘moderate’ category, it means the air can cause breathing discomfort to people with asthma and heart disease. While industries do contribute a lot to air pollution levels in the city, the industrial areas are mostly restricted to the north-western part of the city and contribution of industries is nothing when compared to the pollution contributed by traffic , environmental experts said.“Air pollution in urban areas like Hyderabad is mostly due to construction activities and more number of vehicles being added to the city road on a daily basis. Everything else falls to a bare minimum in comparison to the pollution contributes by vehicles in Hyderabad,” said Arun Krishnamurthy of Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI).Hyderabad, including Secunderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, has a floating population of about 1 crore and has over 50 lakh vehicles plying on the roads with over 1,000 vehicles getting added every day to the existing vehicles. When contacted, officials at the Telangana state pollution control board (TSPCB) said the problem of air pollution is being viewed seriously and specific directions were being issued from time to time to check the pollution levels.However, experts say that the city’s increasing traffic can pose a threat in the long run. “Traffic congestion is known to be the major cause of air pollution. Residents may be affected in the long run if the numbers are not controlled,” said N Raveender, former chief environmental scientist, TSPCB.On the brighter side, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is soon going to launch about 40 eco-friendly and noiseless electric buses from different parts of the city for passengers heading towards Shamshabad airport. According to TSRTC, the buses have already completed trial runs, undergone all safety tests and are ready to be deployed.“The trial runs were conducted successfully. We will soon launch 40 environment friendly buses to address the increasing air pollution problem in the city of Hyderabad,” said M Ravinder, executive director of TSRTC.

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