Kolkata: Air quality in most parts of Kolkata on Thursday even as temperatures dipped. A steady breeze through the day helped disperse accumulated pollutants, preventing the kind of winter stagnation that typically pushes air quality into the ‘very poor' category in late Dec.
Data from six of the city's seven active Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations showed that most places remained in the ‘moderate' to the lower end of the ‘poor' range. Ballygunge recorded an AQI of 184, while Fort William —often impacted by traffic and ceremonial activities—stood at a relatively cleaner 137. RBU recorded an AQI of 144 and Rabindra Sarobar, aided by its green cover and water body, remained the cleanest at 109.
But pockets of concern persisted. Victoria Memorial and Jadavpur stayed in the ‘poor' category with AQIs of 295 and 279.
PCB officials attributed the relative improvement to stronger surface winds and the absence of temperature inversion during the day.