Kolkata: Amid allegations of rampant violations of norms with reports of firecrackers being burst post midnight on October 20, Kolkata’s air quality, which had plunged on Kali Puja night with the AQI crossing the 300-mark due to extensive bursting of firecrackers, improved on Wednesday, with most areas recording ‘moderate’ air quality.
According to data from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), the AQI at 8 am stood at 148 in Ballygunge, 197 in Jadavpur, 127 at Rabindra Sarobar, 109 in Bidhannagar, and 149 at Fort William.
The air quality was better at Rabindra Bharati University, where the reading was 97. The only area that remained in the ‘poor’ category was Victoria Memorial, with an AQI of 234.
In Howrah, only Puddapukur recorded a ‘poor’ AQI of 234, while Belur, Ghusuri, the Botanical Garden and Dasnagar all reported readings below 200. Other non-attainment cities in Bengal — Barrackpore, Haldia, Asansol, and Durgapur — also reported ‘moderate’ air quality at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
“The AQI spike was maximum around midnight on Kali Puja night due to firecracker bursting. Such momentary spikes influence the next 24-hour data. However, air quality showed significant improvement soon after,” said Kalyan Rudra, chairman of the WBPCB. On the night of Kali Puja, AQI levels in several areas — including Lake Town, Ballygunge, and Park Circus — had crossed 300.
The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 4 pm bulletin on Wednesday also placed Kolkata, Howrah, Barrackpore, Asansol, Durgapur, and Haldia in the ‘moderate’ category.
In contrast, cities like Delhi, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Hapur, Meerut, Noida, Rohtak, and Yamuna Nagar fell under the ‘very poor’ category, while several others remained ‘poor’.
An AQI between 0–50 is considered good, 51–100 satisfactory, 101–200 moderate, 201–300 poor, 301–400 very poor, and 401–500 severe.
Noise pollution, too, was significantly lower compared to the Kali Puja night. However, certain areas that have witnessed rapid urbanisation — including Ballygunge, Jadavpur, Lake Town, Bangur, New Town, and the SN Banerjee Road stretch from Moulali to Dharmatala — continued to be hotspots. The WBPCB control room, which remained operational till 10 p.m. on Tuesday, received seven complaints of noise violations — a steep drop from the 47 complaints recorded on Monday night.
Though police had arrested 640 people on Monday and 316 for discharging crackers, gambling, and disorderly conduct, claiming that the situation was under control, the citizens of Kolkata alleged that the massive use of sound crackers was used in almost all the areas across the city, flouting the law. According to sources, on Monday night, residents of a large portion of South Kolkata witnessed the massive use of banned sound crackers. In North Kolkata, complaints were received from several areas in Girish Park, Shyambazar and Sinthi.