Kolkata, Nov 9 (IANS) Kolkata’s air quality plunged to hazardous levels shortly after midnight following the widespread bursting of firecrackers during Kali Puja, in violation of government restrictions. However, despite the severe deterioration, the city did not figure among the country’s ten most polluted cities.
According to the data received at 2 a.m., the average air quality index (AQI) was 437 across Kolkata. This has been termed ‘Hazardous’ by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board.
The amount of PM2.5, the most harmful fine dust particles in the air, was 293 micrograms per cubic metre, and the amount of PM10 reached 354 micrograms.
By midnight, a dense layer of smog enveloped large parts of the city, with north Kolkata emerging as the worst-affected region. Kankurgachi recorded an alarming AQI of 610, followed by Maniktala (538), Beniapukur (528), Lebutala (491), Cossipore (490) and Taltala (469). Several other neighbourhoods also reported dangerously high pollution levels.
The situation in Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) also deteriorated sharply. The index was recorded at 662 in the EE block of Salt Lake. It was 557 in the DJ block and 490 in Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation area.
The picture in central Kolkata was equally worrying. The pollution index stood at 484 in Fort William complex. Elgin Road and Hastings recorded 462, and the Maidan area recorded 461. South Kolkata also witnessed a virtually identical picture. The index was 478 in Chakraberia, 474 in Ballygunge, 446 in Lake Terrace, 432 in Bhawanipur, 425 in Chetla, 397 in Dhakuria and 362 in South City.
At the same time, the maximum level of PM2.5 in the air of Ghusuri in Howrah district was 500; it was 453 in Belur and 474 in Rabindra Bharati University area in North 24 Parganas district.
Speaking to IANS, prominent green technologist and environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh called for long-term actions to curb air pollution. “Ban 15-year-old vehicles. Old diesel and petrol vehicles are among the biggest contributors to PM2.5, PM10, and black carbon in our city. Stop roadside eateries using coal chulas. Hundreds of coal chulas burning all day on our footpaths and roadside stalls are choking our neighbourhoods. We need a shift to clean LPG/electric cooking, with support for small vendors to make the transition,” he said.
The environmentalist further asked the administration to deploy 100 water cannons to wash the city. “This will open up the dust cover on tree leaves, restoring leaf porosity for better oxygen generation, settle suspended dust instead of letting it hang in the air we breathe, and reduce the city’s carbon footprint in a visible, immediate way. Water, enforcement, and clean fuel can reduce air pollution drastically,” he added.
–IANS
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