India’s economic development has led to worsening of air quality in major Indian cities, according to a new study published here today.

The survey was carried out by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in six major cities Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

The transport sector was ranked the highest followed by factories in and around the city as the second highest contributor towards air pollution in Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

While respondents from Bangalore rated factories as the highest contributor of air pollution followed by transport, those in Hyderabad rated construction activities in the city as the worst offender followed by the transport sector.

The ‘TERI Environmental Survey 2013’ was conducted with a sample size of 4,039 respondents. Six themes were selected for the study — overall environment, air quality, water quality, forest/green cover, climate change, and waste and waste management.

“Air quality for the respondents in the six cities over time has either become worse or has seen no change. In terms of drinking water quality and availability, there is a perception that it has improved in all cities barring Hyderabad, where the respondents felt it has worsened,” the survey says.

continue reading Economic development has affected air quality in Indian cities: Survey – The Economic Times.