Kolkata and Howrah’s air quality deteriorated sharply on Kali Puja night as firecrackers were burst beyond the permissible hours of 8 pm to 10 pm, flouting guidelines issued by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) and the police, environmentalists said on Tuesday.
A WBPCB official said while the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 186 (PM 2.5) at Victoria Memorial in the city, it touched 364 at Belur in Howrah at 10 pm on Monday. An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘very poor’, and anything above 300 is classified as ‘severe’.
At Padmapukur, the AQI stood at 361, while it breached the 252 mark at Ghusuri, both in Howrah district. In Kolkata’s Ballygunge, the AQI touched 173, while at Jadavpur it was 169 at 10 pm, the PCB official said. At Rabindra Bharati University in north Kolkata’s Sinthi area, the AQI was recorded at 167.
At 8 pm on Monday, before the burst of fireworks peaked, the AQI was relatively lower — 164 at Victoria, 159 at Jadavpur, 117 at Fort William, 161 at Belur Math, 102 at Rabindra Bharati University and 134 at Ballygunge. The WBPCB is analysing the data to assess the extent of deterioration, the official added.
Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said there was rampant and frequent use of high-decibel firecrackers across the city and adjoining Howrah despite the court-imposed restrictions. “From Kashipur, Sinthi, Jorasanko and Maniktala to Kasba, Tollygunge, Regent Park, Behala and Jadavpur, loud firecrackers were burst everywhere. Both the police and WBPCB remained mere spectators and failed to curb the sale and use of firecrackers,” Ghosh alleged.
He added that the situation in Howrah appeared even worse and warned that the air quality could deteriorate further during post-Kali Puja celebrations.
Echoing similar concerns, Naba Dutta of Sabuj Manch, a collective of environmentalists, blamed the authorities for their “failure” to enforce regulations, saying elderly citizens, ailing persons, children and pets were left exposed to sound and air pollution.
Kolkata Police, meanwhile, said they arrested 45 people for bursting illegal fireworks and disorderly conduct on Kali Puja evening. Of them, 29 were arrested for disorderly conduct till 8 pm, while 16 others were apprehended for bursting firecrackers beyond the permissible limit.
The city police said a large number of personnel were deployed across neighbourhoods to keep a watch on violations and ensure adherence to court-mandated norms.