CITY
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Accidents in city, up in 2016, decline this year ‘No. of cases has dipped because of reduced speed’
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oad accidents in Bengaluru city, which spiked in 2016, seem to be on a decline in 2017 compared to the previous year, data available on the traffic police website shows. As per data collected by the Bengaluru City Traffic Police, the number of accidents registered in 2016 was 7,506, an increase of 55% from the 4,828 cases registered in 2015.
ON DOWNWARD SPIRAL?
Fatal cases 2015 714 2016 754 2017 (Jan- 419 Aug) Year
Non-fatal cases 4,114 6,752 2,977
Total
4,828 7,506 3,396
Source: bangaloretrafficpolice.gov.in
dents. These numbers shot up to 754 and 6,752 respectively the following year. The number of dead and injured in 2016 was 793 and 4,193 respectively as against 740 and 4,047 in 2015 respectively. The data suggests a drop in casualties in the road accidents this year. Between January and August, 442 people lost their lives in the road accidents.
uP to you, CitizenS: Police say it is the responsibility of citizens as well to prevent accidents. they must avoid jaywalking Traffic inspector Anil Kumar informed The Observer: “There were 3,396 road accidents in Bengaluru from January to August 2017.” The inspector added: “The transport department has spent money on projects to ensure road safety. It is not only the government’s job; but the public must be responsible too. Pedestrians must watch while crossing the road. Jaywalking must be avoided… regulations do not permit it. 2017 has seen a major dip in road accidents as the speed limit is under control.” Said MN Sreehari, adviser to the Karnataka government on
traffic, transportation and infrastructure, said: “92% of accidents occur not due to the drivers. But this year, due to proper road infrastructure and road design, we can see that there has been a decrease in road accidents compared to previous years.” The speed of vehicles has come down drastically, resulting in fewer accidents compared to the previous years, Sreehari said. When the speed of a vehicle is in single digit, the impact won’t be much; injuries, if any, will be minor. Police say that many cases of accident are not registered because the parties involved reach a compromise.
Never-ending drain widening prolongs agony of residents Shiny Kirupa. R shiny.k@iijnm.org
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he road in front of the Passport Office in Koramangala is waterlogged every time it rains. Motorists circumvent paths that are stagnated. Mahesh, a cab driver, informed The Observer: “80 Feet Road become worse when it rains. The rainwater has nowhere to go as there is no proper drainage system. This results in inconvenient travel for my passengers.” Mathew, an autorickshaw driver, said manholes overflow every time there is a heavy shower. “It flows thick and black.” The BBMP says it is widening the drain in the bustling road. BBMP civil engineer Jagdesh said: “The drain is being expanded from 0.9 metres to 1.2 meters and is deepened. This will help in better draining of rain water than before.” Because of continuous rain, he added, they haven’t been able to finish the work on time. But locals have a different ver-
‘Climate treaties must be legally binding’ Sreejani Bhattacharyya sreejani.b@iijnm.org
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G. Manashaa manashaa.g@iijnm.org
In 2015, there were 714 fatal accidents and 4,114 non-fatal acci-
the observer tuesday,october 10, 2017
Residents are not convinced by the BBMP’s explanations | Credit: Shiny Kirupa sion. The work, under way for several months, is not even partially complete, they said. “They do not finish it in one go and keep prolonging it for no reason,” said Sangeetha, a sugarcane juice seller whose shop is close to the road. Workers digging the drain dump mud and stones by the roadside, making driving even more risky. The road gets muddy and slippery during rainfall.
Das Suresh Kumar, a resident of Koramangala and data analyst in a market research company, said the road has been in a bad condition ever since he moved to the place one and half years ago. He has to ride over the potholed road when he drops his daughter at school. “On top of the bad roads, the incomplete drainage work, which was started more than a month ago, has worsened the state of the road.” Raju, an autorickshaw driver lives in the area, said driving on the road is risky; it damages his vehicle. He avoids giving rides even if people offer to pay more. “The rainwater gets inside the silencer. I have spent Rs 4,000 on getting my autorickshaw repaired.” he remarked. The BBMP’s work has in no way improved the situation, said Sudhakar, another autorickshaw. He recalled the situation last year: Work was partially done and left incomplete. This year too, he added, work would not be finished within the time stipulated by the BBMP.
ccording to the “Climate Change over India: An Interim Report”, published by the Centre for Climate Change, ministry for earth sciences, in July 2017, “climate change poses a major threat to the world in view of its far-reaching implications for environment, water availability, natural resources, ecosystems, biodiversity, economy and social wellbeing”. Govindasamy Bala (in photo), professor at the Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies, Indian Institute of Science, spoke to The Observer about climate change and its implications. Extracts from an interview: Q: Your paper talks about the concept of “planetary boundaries”. What is it? A: There are many components in the climate system. Each has a range. Crossing the threshold of that range could be potentially
Observer interview dangerous for the entire system. If the rate at which species get extinct reaches that threshold level, that would cause permanent damage to the ecosystem. The Paris Agreement talks about a 2degree-Celsius rise in temperature as the threshold. If the rise in temperature crosses that, life on Earth would be in danger. Q: What are the major manmade factors contributing to climate change? A: The two major human factors contributing to climate change are fossil fuel burning and deforestation. When coal and petroleum are burnt, carbon present in them converts to carbon dioxide, which accumulates in the atmosphere .This carbon dioxide traps heat just like a greenhouse which
causes a rise in temperature of the Earth. Similarly, when trees are cut, carbon stored in the trees gets converted into carbon dioxide which traps the heat. Q: Why are summers in Bengaluru getting hotter? A: There could be two reasons for higher temperatures in Bengaluru: Global warming and urban heat island. Global warming is caused by increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. An urban heat island is caused by an extensive use of concrete in cities. According to National Geographic, an urban heat island is a metropolitan area that is a lot warmer than the rural areas surrounding it. Q: Why have we not been able to achieve sustainable development though we have so many treaties and protocols to get solutions to climate change and environmental degradation? A: The biggest problem with all treaties… is they are not legally binding. They are based on voluntary actions. People can get away after harming the environment.... Q: How can solutions to climate change and environmental degradation be found? A: In my paper, I talk about Garrett Hardin’s ‘Tragedy of Commons’, where he talks about how … air, fresh water bodies, sea or public properties are exploited when they are common property. Human beings have a tendency to pollute. The conscience of human beings to not pollute cannot be the solution for climate change globally. The need of the hour is to make these treaties legally binding so that every person or country breaking these rules faces strict penalties. Only then can solutions... be obtained.
Shrill horn is the biggest issue >>Continued from page 1 The other measuring stations are located at Banasawadi police station, TERI office in Domlur, Victoria Hospital, DTDC office on Victoria Road and Kazisummanahalli in Whitefield. Shrill horns are the biggest problem. “I have to travel to office daily. Because of noise pollution, I get headaches. It has been increasing,” said Poornima JV, a resident of Nagasandra in northwest Bengaluru. Bengaluru traffic police booked 9,395 shrill-horn cases till August
this year, according to data accessed on their website. The optimum noise level for motor vehicle horns has been set at 85 decibels. But with car drivers and bike riders honking needlessly and thoughtlessly, it has been crossed. The situation is serious. Said Dr Vikrant, a cardiologist at Fortis Hospital: “Piercing noise from vehicles and other sources can lead to heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure. It can also cause problems like hemorrhage, anxiety and depression.
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Editor: Rayan Mitra News editor:Manikankana Sengupta Copy editor:Sreejani Bhattacharyya and Pracheta Panja Photo editor: Manashaa Ganesan Page layout:Saket Tiwari and Shiny Kirupa Web-page layout: Manashaa Ganesan and Pracheta Panja