City of Joy chokes on cracker fumes as air quality remains in 'very poor' category

Kolkata: Despite the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court on bursting of firecrackers, the air quality in Kolkata continued to remain in the 'very poor' category, from the night of Kali Puja on Tuesday till Thursday morning.

As per data available with the automatic monitoring station at Victoria Memorial recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Particulate Matter (PM) - an important parameter of the Air Quality Index (AQI), was well in the 'very poor' category at 340 right from 6 pm on Tuesday and rose to 346 at 7 pm, 351 at 8 pm, 353 at 9 pm and remained around 350 the entire night.

On Thursday morning, the PM count that registered at 368 at 6.00 am, shot up to 373 at noon and continued to remain so till 2 pm, falling only a few steps to 366 at 6 pm.

The PM registered at the automatic monitoring station at Rabindra Bharati University at BT Road in North Kolkata, was well over 350 right from 7 pm and was 362 at 8 pm.

When questioned about the air quality readings, West Bengal

Pollution Control Board chairman Kalyan Rudra refused to draw any conclusion about the improvement or deterioration in the air pollution during Kali Puja and Diwali on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

"Our monitoring stations will monitor the situation till a week after Diwali and we will chalk out an action plan to combat any situation in future, as the Supreme Court order envisaged," he said.

"The overcast condition of the sky since Tuesday night and low wind speed have contributed to the suspended particles being unable to move up and hanging around at the same level. This has resulted in low AQI, but bursting of crackers has been much less compared to previous years," said Rudra.

A senior official of WBPCB added that law enforcement alone cannot curb pollution, without people becoming aware. "Around 11 pm on Wednesday night, I found a mother lighting a sparkler, accompanied by her child. Until she realises that she is causing serious health hazard to her child by such an act, no law can yield fruitful results," the WBPCB official said.

It may be mentioned that the apex court had set a deadline of 8-10 pm for bursting of firecrackers.

The US Consulate's PM 2.5 index on Thursday showed the city's air quality as "very unhealthy" at 211. A US consulate official, however, said the consulate index, which only projects the air quality of the area surrounding Ho Chi Minh Sarani, was not reflective of the entire city. 60 Mg is the normal range for PM in the air.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". Above 500 is "severe-plus emergency" category.

Former law officer of WBPCB Biswajit Mukherjee, who is now associated with an NGO dealing with pollution, said: "On the night of Kali Puja people adopted a wait and watch approach and kept a close eye on police movement after the Supreme Court restriction. However, on Diwali night, sound pollution continued unabated. The SC order has surely been violated. We will serve letters to concerned departments next week and will move the apex court regarding the matter."

As many as 93 people were arrested for bursting firecrackers in the city till midnight on

Diwali. Till 11 pm, Kolkata Police received a total of 50 complaints regarding the bursting of firecrackers, mainly from areas like EM Bypass, Kasba, Patuli, Thakurpukur and Dum Dum.