Hyderabad, July 21: Air pollution levels in the city are shooting up rapidly because of the exponential rise in the number of vehicles. "On an average, 600 new vehicles are entering our roads every day," said a senior transport official. This has been causing the air pollution to go beyond acceptable levels. For instance, the total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) in the air should be 200 milligram per cubic metre but the average value being recorded in the twin cities is 280 milligram per cubic metre.

Hyderabad is on the move not just on the progressive front but also in terms of pollution. The levels of dust, water and sound pollution in the city are alarming and increasing by leaps and bounds every year. According to the state Pollution Control Board, the total suspended particulate matter (TSPM), which denotes the dust levels in the city, has increased from 241 ug/m to 254 ug/m since last year.

*Not only are levels of Suspended Particulate Matter above permissible limits in Mumbai, but the worst pollutant after vehicular emissions has grown at an alarming rate. *Construction work among main causes; respiratory diseases are on the rise, say doctors Despite all the efforts to reign in pollution in the financial capital, data collected by a slew of mobile air quality monitoring vans across the city have some alarming news: The levels of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), or dust, in Mumbai's air have continued to increase over the past three years.

As the sudden fog over Delhi and NCR on Sunday stumped most people, environmentalists and meteorological experts said this was possibly the outcome of extremely high levels of pollution.

Days after the loading and unloading of coal at Berths 10 and 11 at the Mormugao Port was stopped by a series of agitations, the Goa Pollution Control Board has shown that both the suspended particulate matter (SPM) and the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) in the area are much higher than the permissible limits. The RSPM, which can cause major health disorders, is over 60 per cent higher than the limit. Respirable suspended particulate matter (dust) is defined as particles 10 micrometres in size or smaller (PM10), which can settle in the lungs, causing serious health problems like asthma, lung cancer and heart disease. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) can penetrate the gas-exchange areas of the lungs, and cause high plaque deposits in arteries, vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, leading to heart disease. This happens even with short-term exposure at higher concentrations The very smallest particles