The ongoing road widening project on Saswad Road in Pune’s Phursungi has become a major contributor to dust pollution on the route, causing inconvenience, health issues, and livelihood concerns to the public. For the past few months, both sides of the road have been dug up and filled with heaps of sand. Vehicles passing on this road generate heavy clouds of dust that cover the area due to the sand. Dirt, debris, and construction materials such as pipes and rods have been piled onto the roadside, taking up the already very limited walking space available.The Hadapsar-Dive Ghat phase of this project by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began in October 2024, according to the agency. It is expected to be completed by December and aims to create a four-lane route. Commuters walk through Saswad Road, braving the dust from the ongoing construction. (Photo by Ira Kharshikar)Residents of Phursungi say they have been experiencing the ill effects of the construction works for at least the past seven to eight months.Daily commute as a health hazardUmesh Dahake, a young commuter who was able to use his cycle through the area, has had to abandon it altogether due to the dust and traffic conditions. “It’s impossible to use my cycle anymore,” Dahake explained. Instead, he now walks. This mode brings its own set of problems. His commute time has increased considerably, and he’s forced to spend even longer exposed to the dust-heavy air, particularly during late afternoon hours when dust particles have accumulated and settled throughout the day.“The late afternoon times are the worst. All the dust has settled in the air by then. It’s irritating to the eyes and nose. Walking takes longer, so I’m stuck in it for even more time than I would have been on a cycle,” he observed.PMPML bus conductors say the traffic has worsened to such an extent that the bus gets stalled on one road for a long time. “So we have to sit with this dust around us all day. So many children also use this route, this cannot be good for them either”, a PMPML bus conductor told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity.Story continues below this adSchool students complain of late arrival at school. “I have to call my mother and let her know I am stuck in traffic and am going to be late almost every day. Getting home used to be a lot quicker,” said Chhavi, a Class 9 student who uses the bus to commute to and from school.Supriya Maheshwari, a domestic help who lives in a lane off Saswad Road, travels up and down the construction stretch frequently throughout each day. “My children and I do face issues with dust, but we will have to adjust, I suppose,” she said.Fruit sellers on Saswad Road say no one wants to buy fruits that have been sitting in the dust,” she says.The dust problem extends beyond street vendors to established retail establishments. Monica Pramod, a cashier at the New Big Mart store near the construction stretch, describes the staff’s daily struggles. “By afternoon, all the dust has settled into our store,” Monica explained. “We have to clean a lot more.”Story continues below this ad Commuters walk through Saswad Road, braving the dust from the ongoing construction. (Photo by Ira Kharshikar)NHAI’s responseStandard construction protocols mandate dust control measures, including regular water sprinkling, temporary barriers, and scheduled work hours. According to NHAI Manager Abhijeet Aute, who oversees the project, the protocols are being maintained, but in heavily congested and traffic-prone areas, it is hard to free the roads for regular cleaning. NHAI aims to convert 7-metre roads into 28-metre ones, and doing so involves demolitions, which naturally creates considerable amounts of dust in the air, said Aute.“We have not received any formal complaints yet. Regular brooming and watering are being done. This is the latter phase of the project, and it is 60 per cent complete. After this, demolitions will be complete, and there will be laying of the new roads, which will not cause any issues with dust,” he told The Indian Express, stressing the importance of the project for the overall traffic congestion issue that Pune faces.(Ira Kharshikar is an intern with The Indian Express)