Cleaning up Bengaluru’s air: Not a priority despite soaring pollution Premium

Extremely high vehicular emissions, mountains of dust from unregulated construction debris, dramatic decline in tree cover… Bengaluru was already slipping big on the air pollution map into deep red territory when the city earned another notoriety: The worst performer among 25 cities in use of funds under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Doesn’t this defy logic?

Extremely high vehicular emissions, mountains of dust from unregulated construction debris, dramatic decline in tree cover… Bengaluru was already slipping big on the air pollution map into deep red territory when the city earned another notoriety: The worst performer among 25 cities in use of funds under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Doesn’t this defy logic?

First, the grim statistics: Bengaluru used barely 13% of the grants released under the 15th Finance Commission to support the clean air programme, says a report prepared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Compare this with over 70% fund utilization by Lucknow, Hyderabad and Greater Mumbai.

Out of 16 cities studied for emission of Particulate Matter (PM 2.5), Bengaluru had the highest 64% contribution from vehicular exhaust. While diesel generator (DG) sets contributed 11% of the city’s PM 2.5, open solid waste burning was linked to 10% of the emissions. Road dust made up 7% of the pollutants. Delhi, which often struggles with its vehicular congestion, had only 39% of the PM 2.5 coming from transport exhaust.

The picture is grim. Despite an explosive, unregulated growth of vehicles, which, at last count stood in excess of 1.20 crore, the city has fallen short on activating multiple measures mandated under the NCAP programme. City action plans had to be prepared, source apportionment studies completed, pollution hotspots identified and a pollution emergency response plan readied.

The report has also found huge gaps in regulation of on-road emissions management, phasing out of old vehicles, improvement of public transport, electrification, non-motorised transport and parking policy. To put this in perspective, Bengaluru’s Air Quality Index (AQI) – a measure of PM10 and PM2.5 - has been seeing a considerable drop. Before the rains arrived, the number of good air quality days (AQI between 0 and 100) in March was much less than March 2023. 

NCAP’s performance-linked funding with targeted milestones inevitably requires all the stakeholders to show time-bound results. This is where Bengaluru’s multiple agencies have been found wanting. V. Ramprasad, a seasoned environmentalist and pollution watcher attributes it to lack of coordination, primarily between the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

“The Board and the Palike do whatever they want. This is because of a lack of governance. There are no elected corporators and mayor,” he points out. “These are all Mayoral programmes, not what the Deputy Chief Minister or Chief Minister should undertake. As long as there are no elections, this will go on. There is no one in-charge and nobody is taking full responsibility. They pass on the blame to BMTC, transport and other departments.”