All Kolkata AQI stations except one slips into ‘poor’ category
Times of India | 15 January 2025
12 Kolkata: The city witnessed persistently poor air quality on Tuesday, as pollution levels remained in the "poor" AQI category (201-300) across most monitoring stations, underscoring the city's ongoing environmental challenges.
The situation was exacerbated by meteorological conditions, with vertical wind speeds dropping below 3 meters per second, and a thermal inversion layer trapping pollutants closer to the ground, according to atmospheric scientists.
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As the day progressed, marginal improvements were observed by 5 pm, with Ballygunge at 264, Salt Lake 254, Fort William 232, Jadavpur 224, RBU 235, Rabindra Sarobar showing the most significant improvement to 187, transitioning to "Moderate," and Victoria 234.
The poor air quality is part of a seasonal trend that worsens in winter due to meteorological factors. Atmospheric scientists stressed the need for policy interventions to address these recurring issues.
Kolkata's air quality consistently oscillated between "moderate" and "poor," offering no respite for residents. The graded response action plan was kicked in. The city's environmental health continues to be a cause for concern, with urgent mitigation efforts required to address both seasonal and long-term pollution sources.