Faridabad is one of the important districts of Haryana, located in the National Capital Region of India. Faridabad is known for its industries and pollution. The pollution level in the city is increasing every year which has a significant impact on the health of citizens and environment.
Faridabad falls in the list of Top 15 polluted cities of the world.
There are many reasons which contribute to this situation in Faridabad. We shall discuss the reasons one by one.
Vehicular Pollution
Faridabad is the most populated district of Haryana with an estimated population of 2,388,848 citizens. More people need more vehicles. More vehicles lead to more vehicular pollution. The city does not have a proper public transport system so a lot of people depend on their vehicles.
These vehicles produce harmful gases such as Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides etc. which impact the pollution level of the city.
Industrial Pollution
Faridabad has a lot of industrial units which contribute a major part in the pollution level of the city. There are many types of industries running in Faridabad such as Chemical, Textile, Steel, Henna production, electronics etc.
Theses industries produce many harmful pollutants such as particulate matter, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide.
The authorities are not that strict and lack of monitoring of Industrial emissions increases the problem. There is no proper system for waste disposal in the city.
Construction Work
Faridabad is growing exponentially in terms of infrastructure. There are many residential, commercial and road projects are running in the city.
The construction work produces a significant amount of dust which causes air pollution.
Mumbai – Delhi expressway is passing through Faridabad and its construction has caused a lot air pollution.
Geographical Factors
Faridabad is located in a low lying area and the surrounding hills trap the air, which causes smog in the city. The stagnant air and high humidity increase the pollution level in the city and it becomes hard for pollutants to disperse.
Theses are the factors which are responsible for poor condition of Faridabad. This level of pollution is very dangerous for the health of citizens causing respiratory illness, allergies and skin diseases.
Solution
The authorities are taking several actions to control the pollution in the city, for example closing several polluting industries and introducing the CNG powered transport vehicles. CNG and electricity powered auto-ricksaws have helped Delhi in pollution control. So government of Haryana should subsidize electrical and CNG vehicles.
All these efforts from the local authorities are not enough because the problem is not that small.
Faridabad needs a comprehensive and sustained approach to tackle the pollution. The most important thing is to focus on the root cause of the pollution in the city and spreading awareness among the citizens to protect their health and environment.
The citizens should pressurize the local authorities to work efficiently.
The government should work on improving the public transport infrastructure in the city. Government should promote non-motorized transport such as cycling and walking. Cycling and walking demand infrastructure so government will have to work on that too.
Planting trees and promoting greenery is very important as plants and tress absorb pollutants and can help in improving the air quality in the city.