Karnataka - Bangalore   

’Bangalore must take lead in controlling greenhouse gases’

BANGALORE: It is time for Bangalore to take the lead in pollution control, particularly the Green House Gases (GHG). The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is the first pollution board in the country to release the GHG inventory for the State.

The inventory has stopped short of handing out a grave warning of the city’s rising level of GHG and its contribution to global warming. Proposals have been sent to the Government to have a full-fledged department of environment and ecology.

The unnerving figures on pollution that the inventory has brought to focus has had its effect on at least some top minds in environmental sciences in the city, and has triggered a lead to an action plan to bring down emission levels of GHG.

The former Chief Secretary A. Ravindra, who is the Chairman of the Centre for Sustainable Development, has put together thinkers and academics to drive home the point that it was time to start working at reducing the levels of GHG in the city.

Some people involved in the exercise included Karnataka State Pollution Control Board chairman H.C. Sharatchandra, Chairman of Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science N.H. Ravindranath and senior scientist Sukumar.

The major GHGs emanating from the transportation sector are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide; other industrial GHGs include chlorofluorocarbons in its different variants and sulphur hexa fluoride. With the growth of the city, vehicular traffic has also increased in a prolific manner at a rate of 1,200 vehicles (figures provided by the Transport Department) a day. Two wheelers amount to 73 per cent of vehicular population in Bangalore, followed by light motor vehicles at 19 per cent, heavy motor vehicles at 5 per cent and three wheelers at 3 per cent. The growth of two wheelers has shown an increase from 0.75 million in 1997 to 2.04 million on December 31, 2007.

Dr. Ravindranath told The Hindu: “The city which is known for its scientific bent of mind should start contributing towards reduction of GHG.

Simple things that do not cost much can be taken up by the people themselves to bring down the level of emission of GHG and global warming.” Such measures include changing over to CFL bulbs from incandescent bulbs, solar lighting and heating units, improving the efficiency of irrigation pumps which consume an average of 3,000 units of energy a year, putting off electronic gadgets like television, microwave ovens, music systems and chargers by switching off the switch and not through ‘sleep mode’ (switching off through remote unit).

Dr. Sharatchandra said motor vehicles should be switched off if the time at the traffic intersection is more than 15 seconds.

During nights, the headlights of vehicles should be switched off at traffic intersections.

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