As air pollution assumes “critical” level in the national Capital, The Pioneer visited a construction site of the Centre Public Work Department (CPWD) opposite the Supreme Court on Friday to check the reality.
It was amply clear that preventive steps to protect surroundings and the labourers from dust are not being taken. Talking about the adverse impact on labourers and site engineers, a health expert said the ‘particle pollution’ that contains microscopic solid or liquid droplet is so small that it can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems.
“The size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. Small particles less than 10 micrometres in diameter pose the greatest problems, because they can get deep into your lungs, and some may even get into your bloodstream,” said the health expert.
Workers at construction sites have problems like aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, and increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing, he added.
Ashwani Kumar, Principal Secretary, Environment and Forest said, “Construction agencies have to irrigate the site from time to time so that dust particles present in the air get settle down. Also, sites should be covered with thin material in order to protect surrounding areas from the adverse effects of constructions.”
Environmentalists said construction sites are the most contributory factors for the increase in the level of PM 10. Government bodies should ensure the Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) is implemented. “The construction sites are full of ultrafine, nanofine, silica and asbestos particles which are very tiny and cause respiratory diseases among workers and others who are under the exposure,” said Gopal Krishna, an environmentalist.
Concerned over the rising pollution level in the city, health experts have cautioned against the adverse effects of Particulate Matter (10) on human health but as per National Air Ambient Quality Index, mass concentration of PM 10 is rising abnormally higher than prescribed standards.