Kolkata smog rises after Kali Puja crackers go past curfew

Kolkata: The air quality in Kolkata remained 'poor' on Tuesday due to the bursting of firecrackers on Kali Puja the previous night.

Environmentalists alleged that particulate matters hung in the air after firecrackers were burst beyond the permissible hours of 8 pm to 10 pm till midnight across the metropolis, flouting guidelines issued by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) and police.

A WBPCB official said that the air quality index (AQI) was 253 (PM 2.5) at the air monitoring station at Victoria Memorial at 2 pm on Tuesday, higher than 186 on Monday midnight.

At Jadavpur, AQI was at 207 while at Ballygunge, it was 213 on Tuesday, both considerably higher from 159 and 134 respectively, on Monday midnight.

At 8 pm on Monday, AQI was 164 at Victoria Memorial, 117 (Fort William), 161 (Belur Math), 102 (Rabindra Bharati University).

An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered 'poor', 201 to 300 'very poor', and above 300 is classified as 'severe'.

However, AQI at Belur in Howrah went down to 213 from 364 on Monday midnight.

At Botanical Gardens in Shibpur, AQI was 195 on Tuesday noon, while in Ghusuri in the same district, AQI improved to 204 at 2 pm on Tuesday from 252 on Monday midnight.

"Worsening of AQI cannot be directly linked to bursting of firecrackers, which was lesser than last year. Also, green fireworks ratified by NEERI were used mostly. It can be attributed to the weather, with pollutants hanging in the air amid hot and humid conditions in the absence of rain or southerly winds," the PCB official said, adding they were analysing the results.

Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said that loud firecrackers were rampantly burst in Kolkata and Howrah from Monday evening till midnight hours, far beyond the 8 pm-10 pm window given by the PCB.

"Pollutants hung in the air till Tuesday noon after the frenzied celebrations, with pets and newborns shaken by the loud sounds. The helplines issued by WBPCB or police were of no use. High-decibel firecrackers were burst everywhere in the city. Both police and PCB remained mere spectators as they failed to curb the sale or use of the firecrackers," he said.

The situation is likely to worsen further during the Diwali and post-Kali Puja celebrations on Tuesday, he said.

Naba Dutta of Sabuj Manch, an organisation of environmentalists, also blamed police and the pollution watchdog for having "failed" to enforce regulations, leaving elderly citizens, ailing persons, children and pets exposed to sound and air pollution.