‘Poor’ air quality in Kolkata after Kali Puja
A smoggy haze engulfed the ‘City of Joy’ a day after Kali Puja—making Kolkata’s air quality ‘poor’—caused not only by the bursting of firecrackers but also by the weather conditions: as the air becomes dense with the approaching winter, it allows small particulate matter to remain suspended in breathable air.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) read 284 at Victoria Memorial, 262 at Fort William, 254 at Jadavpur, 234 at Rabindra Sarovar and 236 at Salt Lake, data from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) showed.
An AQI reading 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’.
Environmentalists say the only way to deal with the problem is by spraying water mist in the air and on plants, a problem which needs to be dealt with as the increased level of pollution increases respiratory problems.
