Ambient Air Pollution Trends and Community He...

Ambient Air Pollution Trends and Community Health Impacts in Bengaluru, India

Author Name : Kumar M., Raghavendra M., Nandini N.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56025/IJARESM.2022.10928

ABSTRACT

Bengaluru city is among the rapidly-growing Indian cities facing serious air quality problems due to vehicular emission, dust pollution and Industrial pollution. Specifically, Particulate Matter is a major issue and is exceeding the Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in Bengaluru city. The present study attempts to under the ambient air pollution trends and community health impacts in Bengaluru using various techniques like focal group discussion and structured interviews. The present status of ambient air quality in Bengaluru in different monitoring stations is as follows: Graphite India, White Field>Yeshwanthapura Police Station>Peenya Industrial Area>AMCO Batteries, Mysore Road>KHB Industrial Area>Victoria Hospital>Jnana Bharathi Campus, Bangalore University. The findings revealed that, the air quality is poor and cause serious health impacts to the local residents like eye irritation, cough/asthma, skin allergies, breathlessness, throat irritation, headache and sickness. This paper presents difference of opinion on environmental issues such as air pollution, which is at its root very much a global problem in which individuals live, work and interacts with other. The study concluded that the awareness of air quality in Bengaluru is comparatively high in the clusters. The present study would be helpful in designing the first signs of a social tipping point, leading to greater levels of public engagement to secure significant improvement in local, national and global air quality.

Keywords: air quality; pollution; health impacts; community awareness.