Kolkata: The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Kolkata that was cleanest during October in years, has started deteriorating for the last few days.
As per data available from monitoring stations of West Bengal Pollution Control Board, the AQI in Victoria Memorial area shot up to 232 microgrammes per cubic metre on Sunday morning and in the evening too it was 223 very much in the poor category. In Ballygunge in south Kolkata, the AQI level remained above 200 mark almost through out the day .
"The AQI indicates that walk around Victoria Memorial during morning and evening is not safe. The poor category 201-300 means breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure," environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said.
In Fort William the AQI was 138 in moderate category at 6 pm on Sunday. According to environmentalists , the Maidan area has large open space with adequate green cover but there too the index is between 101-200 that signifies breathing discomfort to people with lungs, asthma and heart disease.
On Friday , for the first time the AQI in certain parts of the city forayed into the poor category.
At 6 p.m. on Friday, the real-time air quality index recorded in three centres in and around the city showed the level of prominent pollutants or PM2.5 in the air as much above safe levels. The AQI at Victoria Memorial in south Kolkata was recorded at 210, while the one at Rabindra Bharati University in south Kolkata was recorded at 255. The most alarming level was recorded at Ghusuri in Kolkata's adjacent Howrah district at 296.
This assumes significance as only 12 days back during Diwali, the AQI was below 100, very much in the good category.
"The Sitrang effects were blessings in disguise, which made the administration over-confident. But I cautioned the state government that the comfortable situation might deteriorate further unless prompt actions are taken," Ghosh said.
With environmentalists apprehending that the situation will become worse within next fortnight, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board has announced that they will be spraying water on roads twice a day from November 15 to keep suspended particulate matter and dust in check.
The exercise will be taken up in all the six non-attainment cities in the state that includes Kolkata. Howrah, Haldia, Barrackpore, Asansol and Durgapur