Charbagh is the most polluted area in Lucknow,says a report published by Indian Institute of Toxicology Research on Wednesday to coincide with the World Environment Day. The study,carried out in nine locations of the state capital,showed Charbagh having the highest average level of respirable particulate matter (RSPM),sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen among all the locations. The area also has the highest level of night-time noise and second highest lead concentration,next to Amausi industrial area. As per the the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS),the prescribed permissible limit of RSPM is 100 micrograms per cubic metre. However,the average at almost all the locations was about twice this limit. Charbagh had RSPM of 253.66 while Amausi industrial area clogged an RSPM figure of 224.29 micrograms per cubic metre. Among the four residential locations that were monitored,Vikas Nagar had the highest concentration of RSPM at 242.16 micrograms per cubic metre. Furthermore,Indira Nagar had the highest concentration of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen at 22.52 and 50.19 micrograms per cubic metre in the residential locations. Overall,Charbagh was again the worst offender with 23.62 and 58.42 micrograms per cubic metre of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen respectively. Level of these two gases in all locations was well below the NAAQS prescribed limit of 80 micrograms per cubic metre but showed an increasing trend compared to last year. The report cited addition of 1,09,773 vehicles on the roads of Lucknow as the chief reason for pollution and called for emergency attention of policy makers,researchers and regulatory agencies. Presence of subsidised public transport (such as metro,monorail),improved traffic management,no encroachments,removal of pressure horns,proper footpaths,public awareness programmes,and an increase in parking charges to discourage the use of personal vehicles were some of the recommendations in the report.
