Pollution impact on Kolkata’s cultural heritage worries experts
Times of India | 8 March 2024
Kolkata: Deteriorating air quality and climate change is affecting the city’s built heritage and cultural landscape as badly as it is affecting human health, experts said at a symposium organised inside the Victoria Memorial Hall, the iconic marble edifice that has grayed over the years due to exposure to pollution from vehicular emission. All through last year, the air quality around VMH has consistently been among the worst in the city.
Despite the thick wall of vegetation around it, VMH is graying due to its constant exposure to the city’s air-borne pollutant load. “VMH is the biggest example of the impact of air pollution load of the city, and so is the cultural life of the city, known to be the cultural capital of the nation. Culture thrives in a pristine environment,” said Vinay Jaju of SwitchOn Foundation which organised the symposium on how air pollution and climate change affect Kolkata’s cultural heritage.
Samarendra Kumar, secretary and curator, VMH, said, “We believe that by bringing together experts from various fields, we can foster a comprehensive understanding of the challenges we face and work towards innovative and sustainable solutions. Kolkata’s cultural heritage is a shared treasure that demands collective action.”
Debanjan Chakrabarti, director, E & NE India, British Council, who moderated the symposium, said, “A healthy life is a prerequisite to the cultural life of a community. As the air pollution and climate change have threatened the very existence of life, everything else is endangered as well.”
Heritage conservation crusader G M Kapur highlighted how construction and demolition dust is one of the major contributors to air pollution in the city and how repurposing the heritage buildings is a great solution for both preserving the cultural heritage of the city and not allowing it to pollute the air. “When you are demolishing an old building you are generating a massive amount of dust and when you are rebuilding a house, you are adding a huge amount of pollutants to the air,” he said.
Karuna Singh, regional director, Earth Day Network, said, “I pin my hopes on today’s students, who are much more aware of environmental degradation and impending crisis due to rapidly changing climate.” Issues such as air pollution, inadequate waste management, and urban congestion pose significant environmental concerns. Balancing the preservation of cultural heritage with the urgent need for sustainable development remains a complex task for Kolkata, she added.
“Smaller steps toward sustainability at an individual level are as important as sweeping changes engineered by institutions,” said Monica Khosla Bhargava, founder, Kham Consultant adding, .elevated levels of air pollutants, due to vehicular and industrial emissions, and landfill sites threaten people’s health.