Gujarat among top five emitters of dust among Indian states: IIT study

AHMEDABAD: Respiratory disorders caused by dust are widespread in the state, and a recent study indicated that Gujarat is fifth among Indian states with high concentration of dust particulate matters PM10 and PM2.5.
Five states of India - Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat - accounted for 60% of the total dust particulate matter emissions.

The findings were published in a paper, 'Fugitive Road Dust Particulate Matter Emission Inventory For India: A Field Campaign In 32 Indian Cities' in Elsevier Journal Science of the Total Environment where the authors included Arpit Katiyar, Diljit Kumar Nayak, Pavan Kumar Nagar, Dhirendra Singh, Mukesh Sharma and Sri Harsa Kota.
The study prepared a 'comprehensive particulate matter road dust emission inventory' for 2022 using the vehicle registration data from 1,352 RTOs in India.
'Specific states such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat emerged as the predominant contributors to road dust emissions. These states not only exhibit elevated silt loading (sL) values, but also account for a substantial proportion of the total registered vehicles in India, thereby underscoring the pressing imperative for effective mitigation measures,' mentioned the study, indicating that these states also accounted for 43% of the total registered vehicles in India.
City-based pulmonologists said that about 50% of the patients in OPD were to see the doctor due to irritation in respiratory tract caused by dust particles.
"While some had come for issues due to emissions from construction sites, others were living near the roads with high traffic volume and high concentration of dust particles in the air," said Dr Gopal Raval, a city-based pulmonologist.
"The primary sign of dust-related irritation is non-obstructive chronic bronchitis where the patients get bad dry cough which is not caused by any infection."
The experts added that despite measures such as use of screens on the under-construction or under-demolition sites, construction sector along with unpaved roads remain major emitters of particulate matters.