Ibrahim Alom from School 21 in Stratford talked to parents and students about the Silvertown Tunnel and finds many are still oblivious to the dangers

The Silvertown Tunnel, a new trunk road under the River Thames that will connect the boroughs of Greenwich and Newham has a positive aim – to reduce the levels of traffic within the existing Blackwall Tunnel – but it will increase pollution.

Simon Pirani, a research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies explained how that will happen: “The project will lead to four more lanes of traffic, to put it simply, that means extra traffic and that equals extra pollution.”

This potential threat worries local communities.

A few parents I spoke to for Newham Voices were aware of the plans to build the Tunnel and expressed their concerns that the increased pollution might put their children’s lives in danger.

But many people are not aware of the health risks and in some cases were not aware of the tunnel being built in the first place.

Similarly, some students who live in Newham were aware of the tunnel being built while the majority were totally oblivious.

A student who was aware of the construction made an obvious point. “I don’t understand the purpose of it being built because it ultimately increases pollution, so it goes against its own aim,” he said.

The “Stop the Silvertown Tunnel” group is working hard to inform local people but many are still in the dark. More needs to be done to spread the word and to encourage the people of Newham to be alert to the threats facing the environment and their health from the project. The only thing that is certain is that time is running out.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.