Covid masks protect residents from dust pollution in Hubballi-Dharwad

Hubballi: The dry spell following the burst of the monsoon has resulted in dust pollution levels spiking in Hubballi-Dharwad. Generally, this would have resulted in a proportional rise in the number of cases of influenza and common cold, but the protective masks that the people are compelled to wear owing to the Covid-19 crisis, has helped check these afflictions this year.
Among the zones where dust pollution is particularly perceptible are Kittur Rani Channamma Circle, Koppikar Road, Dajiban Peth Road, Janata Bazaar Road, Tulajabhavani Circle.On the one hand, while residents are upset with the failure of the authorities concerned to have dealt with the situation beforehand, they are grateful for the compulsion of the masks on the other. However, those refusing to don masks are bearing the brunt of the decline in the quality of air in some of the twin cities’ commercial boroughs.
Dharwad district environmental officer Shobha Gajakosh attributed the spike in dust pollution levels in the twin cities to the disappearance of trees from the sides of the road, in addition to the rampancy of potholes. “The authorities concerned must take steps to fill up the potholes and commence a drive to plant saplings on the sides of roads. Once the trees grow, they will help mitigate the pollution by absorbing the dust,” Shobha said.
Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) commissioner Suresh Itnal admitted to rise in dust pollution in the twin cities, which he ascribed to the many ongoing developmental projects at Station Road, JC Nagar and other localities. Itnal said that the problem was bound to persist for some time owing to work having only started on some of the roads that are being newly laid. “We will, however, take necessary steps to tackle pollution. Owing to heavy rain, potholes are appearing on some of the roads. We have already issued instructions to officials concerned to initiate work on filling of potholes,” the HDMC commissioner said.
Deshpande Nagar resident Sudha Naik said that they could not walk on the roads without masks. “We were asked to wear masks to prevent spread of Covid-19, but now we are wearing them to protect ourselves from the dust,” she said.
Anil Kumar, a trader at KC Circle, said that work on the Neeligin Road had turned the junction in Hubballi into a place under a cloud of dust. He urged the authorities concerned to ensure that civic projects were completed speedily lest residents contract allergies such as cold. “Sprinkling water on the roads helps curtail dust pollution to some extent,” he said.