HARIPUR, Mar 27: The city's ecosystem is threatened by an influx of rickshaws besides exposing the people to different maladies.

Information collected from public as well as private medical care centres of the city suggested that the level of noise and air pollution had risen considerably due to rickshaws causing a surge in the number of patients complaining of hypertension, respiratory disorder and ear nose throat (ENT) problems among the children particularly.

Data showed that there were over 700 tri-wheelers plying within the urban limits.

Out of these, official sources told, only 120 are registered in Haripur while 50 are those registered in other cities like Peshawar, Noshehra, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi and Hyderabad.

These 170 rickshaws, according to official sources are enjoying legal status with formal route permits while remaining over 600 are contributing to the cacophony and environmental degradation belching out highly health hazardous smoke in connivance of traffic police and Motor Vehicle Registration authorities an inflicting pecuniary losses to the national exchequer.

A number of these tri wheelers offering the fast mode of travelling in the city, according to sources, are those rejected in other big cities due to their mechanically bad condition. These old modelled and decrepit rickshaws, mostly manufactured during 1991/92 were, it was noted, fitted with silencers not recommended by the EPA or ministry of science & technology, emit smoke and make shrieking noise when set in motion.

Record showed that the number of patients with chest, ear nose, throat and high blood pressure were increasing at a fast pace.