The Level of Air quality at Public Transport Stationsand Its Effect on Human Health in Addis Ababa: The Case of Torhailoch-Ayat Main Road
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2019-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
EiABC
Abstract
In cities like Addis Ababa, due to the increase of population and rapid spatial expansion of urban area generate travel demand, which directly causes motorization in urban areas. The increase ofmotorizationin urban areas directly affects the quality of the urban environment,especially it deteriorate air quality due to continuous increase in traffic congestion and fuel consumption (more emission).The corridor from Torhailoch to Ayat is one of the congested routes in the city through which both LRT and road public transport give regular services. The aim of this study is to investigateair quality at public transport stations and its health effects along the major route from Torhailoch to Ayat focusingonmeasuring the concentration of Pm2.5, Pm10, AQI (US) and CO2.Observation, interview questionnaires andfield measurementswere used to collect the data and concentrations of air pollutants near public transport stations. It was found that increasing vehicle population in the city contributes the high levels of PM2.5, PM10, AQI and CO2. High concentrations of PM2.5, PM10 and AQIwere found during rush hours compared to off peak hours. The maximum 30minutes average concentrations of PM2.5 werefound to be 89µg/m3 during peak hours and 61µg/m3 during off peak hours, which is far exceeding the WHO air quality standard (35.4µg/m3which is unhealthy state). Factors contributing to high level of air pollutants are vehicular traffic congestions, road gradients, road side enclosure, vehicle types and road surface quality of the areas. Therefore, it was recommended that, the city government should encourage zero emission vehicles, provision of efficient public transport and green development along the street in order to reduce the current condition of transport related air pollutants.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa University in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Science in Urban Planning
Keywords
Air, pollutant, stations and congestion, Particulate Matters, transport, stations and congestion