Air Quality in Kolkata Remains "Poor" After Kali Puja and Diwali Celebrations
Haze engulfs the city as pollution levels rise due to firecracker explosions and weather conditions.
A haze enveloped the city on Monday morning, one day after Kali Puja and Diwali, and the air quality in Kolkata and its environs remained "poor," according to authorities.
According to them, the weather at this time of year, when there is a lot of fog and smoke, contributes to the microscopic particulate matter that lingers in the air, as well as the firecracker explosion on Sunday.
According to data from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), on Monday morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) readings in Kolkata were 284 at Victoria Memorial, 262 at Fort William, 254 at Jadavpur, 234 at Rabindra Sarobar, and 236 at Salt Lake. In the neighboring Howrah district, it was 310 at Ghusuri, and in Burdwan, it was 252 at Asansol.
'Good','satisfactory','moderate', 'poor','very poor', '301 and 400','severe', and 51 and 100 are the AQI ranges, according to the authorities.
In addition to mobile teams and drone monitoring at several hotspots across the city and its surrounding regions, the control center at WBPCB headquarters, Paribesh Bhavan, remained operational till late on Sunday night, they claimed.
The AQI at Rabindra Sarobar, Ballygunje (257), Victoria Memorial (276), Jadavpur (267), Fort William (255), Bidhannagar (243), and Ghusuri (262) at 6 p.m. on Sunday was 216, according to readings from air monitoring stations.
According to environmentalist Naba Dutta, Sunday's festivities with fireworks started in several sections of the city after dusk, which caused pollution levels to skyrocket. "If the levels aggravate, it will cause respiratory problems," he said.
Another green activist, Somendra Mohan Ghosh, said, "We recommend sprinkling water on plants in the evening to reduce the impact of pollution."
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