Sagar Islands: The air quality index (AQI) at Sagar Island witnessed a drop in the morning to 246, a figure that falls under the ‘poor’ category in air pollution parameters.
The district administration has attributed the decline in AQI to the recent work associated with creation of temporary road infrastructure using earth which has generated a lot of dust particles.
Interestingly, the AQI at Sagar captured at 9.00 am was found to have surpassed the AQI reading at various places in Kolkata. In Ballygunge it was 189, Chetla 176, Jadavpur 182, Dhakuria 171. The Maidan area near the US Consulate in Kolkata was 239. The poor category- 201-300- causes breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.
“Gangasagar has hardly fared in the pollution map due to its geographic location. This year, due to massive erosion, we have been undertaking road infrastructure and beach piling work with enough clay. The dust particles generated are circulating at various places in Gangasagar through vehicle movement. We have started sprinkling water and periodic cleaning of the roads in and around Kapil Muni Temple. We are hopeful the situation will soon improve,” said a district administration official.
Kalyan Rudra, chairman of West Bengal Pollution Control Board, said that high AQI is due to fog and low temperature. “Pollutants are mostly dust at Gangasagar,” he added.
Dense fog had engulfed the entire Gangasagar area in the early morning and visibility was near zero. The district administration official further pointed out that the pilgrims coming to Gangasagar light fire to keep themselves warm and for cooking purposes.
This causes pollution and increases risk of fire hazards. As per pollution standards 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.
Swapan Maity, a school teacher at Sagar, opined that the administration needs to take steps since the flow of pilgrims will only increase when the Mela officially kicks off from January 9.