Levels of Air Pollution in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

New smart cities, i.e. technology enabled cities is an ambitious project currently in India. However, the focus should be on rejuvenating the existing dying cities from the plethora of problems they are facing and make them sustainable. In lieu of this, the paper attempts to uncover the environmental disaster of air pollution engulfing the royal Nawabi city of Lucknow which is experiencing a new stage of urbanization and is expanding to its fullest by engulfing the rural fringes. Hasty urbanization poses grave challenge to the environment, which is emerging as an important apprehension and has become a major subject of concern. In this spurious process of expansion, it is attracting negativity which in turn is hampering its own quality. Due to excessive discharge of pollutants like oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, and lead emitted from vehicles, the quality of air is deteriorating. The increased traffic has resulted in increased emission of gaseous pollutants and particulate matter which has enough potential for deterioration of environmental sustainability of any ecosystem and human health too (Nagendra et al. 2004). The quality of air that we are breathing is rapidly changing. Managing the urban environment is becoming an overwhelming dilemma as the city is experiencing critical environmental degradation and is having solemn setback in sustaining human life. Though attempts are being made to curb this problem, huge efforts are still awaited. This paper provides a close view concerning the blow of environment pollution in the perspective of air pollution and problems faced by the citizens.