Kolkata: Even 72 hours after the New Year's fireworks revelry, the city's air quality continues to remain a cause for concern, with pollution levels showing a slow and uneven recovery. Monitoring data on Sunday revealed that several air quality monitoring stations were still recording ‘poor' to ‘very poor' air, highlighting the lingering impact of firecracker emissions.
According to readings from the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Systems (CAAQMS), only 2 out of 7 stations recorded ‘moderate' air quality by evening, while pollution levels at the remaining locations stayed in the ‘poor' or ‘very poor' categories. Experts say the slow dispersal of pollutants is largely due to low wind speed and temperature inversion, which together trap pollutants close to the surface.
At Ballygunge, the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the ‘poor' category throughout the day, rising from 241 at 6 am to 266 by 6 pm. Jadavpur experienced a sharper deterioration, with AQI levels rising from 275 in the morning to 305 in the evening, entering the ‘very poor' category. The Rabindra Bharati University station on BT Road recorded some of the worst readings of the day, with AQI hovering above 300 from morning through evening, peaking at 316 by 6 pm.
Victoria and Fort William, 2 stations located at opposite ends of Maidan, also reported persistently high pollution levels. The Victoria station showed AQI values increasing steadily from 257 at 6 am to 287 by evening, while Fort William recorded a rise from 186 to 207 over the same period, moving from ‘moderate' to ‘poor' air quality. Apart from the ongoing metro station construction near Victoria Memorial Hall, polluted wind from the Esplanade bus depots to the north swept through these stations, along with dense traffic, experts noted.
In contrast, Salt Lake and Rabindra Sarobar were among the few areas showing relatively better air. Salt Lake remained within the ‘moderate' category for most of the day, with AQI values ranging between 144 and 155. Rabindra Sarobar also stayed in the ‘moderate' zone, though readings edged upwards from 160 in the morning to 179 by evening.
Experts warn that the current AQI levels can pose health risks, especially for children, the elderly, and people with respiratory or cardiac conditions. Prolonged exposure to poor air quality can lead to irritation of the eyes and throat, breathing difficulties, and a worsening of asthma and other lung ailments. Authorities advised residents to limit outdoor activities, avoid strenuous exercise during peak pollution hours, and use masks where necessary. With no strong winds or rainfall forecast anytime soon, air quality is expected to improve ‘only gradually'. The data once again underscores the lasting environmental cost of festive fireworks and the need for stricter enforcement and public awareness to prevent severe post-festival pollution episodes.