Kolkata's Air Crisis: Why Pollution Surpassed Delhi for a Week

Green technologist and environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said that Kolkata needed at least 20 automatic air quality monitoring stations across the metropolitan area to obtain reliable, real-time data.

"The seven automatic air quality monitoring stations that we have here were not set up in proper places. We need such stations in densely populated areas and highly congested places such as Moulali and Shyambazar. In the absence of automatic stations, manual machines are used to get data from these areas. But we need automatic stations so that real-time data is received. This will give us the real picture of the city's air quality," Ghosh said.

According to him, most of the existing automatic stations are located in the eco-sensitive zones, which often fail to reflect the actual air quality experienced by residents in crowded areas.

Kolkata recorded higher pollution levels than Delhi between December 6 and December 11. On December 11, at 6.04 p.m., the city's Air Quality Index touched a hazardous 439, while Delhi's highest AQI that day was 345 at midnight.

During the 24 hours from midnight on December 10 to midnight on December 11, Kolkata's lowest AQI was recorded at 3.04 p.m. at 207. Delhi logged its lowest AQI of the day at 4.04 p.m., at 169, which was lower than Kolkata's. However, after 11 p.m. on December 11, Kolkata's AQI shot up sharply, reaching 558. The PM10 levels stood at 239 units against a permissible limit of 100 units, while PM2.5 levels were recorded at 188 units, well above the permissible limit of 60 units. This is believed to be an all-time high for air pollution in the city.

In response to the worsening situation, Paschimbanga Vigyan Mancha, also known as the West Bengal Science Forum, expressed concern and appealed to the State Pollution Control Board and the departments of Health, Labour, and Child Welfare to take immediate steps to curb pollution.

"We have observed that the level of air pollution in Kolkata has reached an alarming state, which is extremely harmful to health. In this situation, the West Bengal Science Forum demands that the State Pollution Control Board immediately issue necessary guidelines for the public. The Pollution Control Board and Health Department should develop necessary joint measures regarding public health. The Labour Department should take necessary steps concerning working people who work outdoors. The government should give utmost importance to the health of children, adolescents, women, and the elderly," the forum said in a statement.

The organisation's general secretary, Sourav Chakraborty, warned of serious health issues if swift action was not taken.

"The air pollution situation in the city is extremely critical. Ordinary people who are going out for work will face various kinds of health problems, especially lung problems and breathing difficulties. We demand immediate action in the public interest, so that we do not see a situation here like the one in Delhi's hospitals," he said.

- IANS