Kolkata recorded 'poor' air quality on New Year’s Day, with PM2.5 levels breaching safe limits across multiple monitoring stations, officials of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) said on Thursday.
At 2pm, the Air Quality Index (AQI) for PM2.5 stood at 315 in Jadavpur, placing it in the “very poor” category. Other locations also reported worrying levels — Fort William recorded 235, Victoria Memorial 255, Rabindra Bharati University 227, Rabindra Sarobar 213, Ballygunge 236 and Bidhan Nagar (Salt Lake) 273.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is classified as “poor” and can cause breathing discomfort on prolonged exposure, while readings between 301 and 400 fall under the “very poor” category and may trigger respiratory illness.
Environmental group Sabuj Manch alleged that firecrackers were burst well beyond the court-mandated 35-minute window between 11.55pm and 12.30am. According to the organisation, crackers continued to go off till around 2am in several south Kolkata neighbourhoods, including Tollygunge, Garia, Kasba, Jadavpur and Behala, as well as north Kolkata areas such as Narkeldanga, Beleghata, Sinthi, Bagbazar, Jorasanko and Bowbazar.
“The court order was clearly violated, with bursting continuing long after the permitted time,” said Somendra Mohan Ghosh, advisory member of Sabuj Manch and a green technologist, speaking to PTI.
A WBPCB official, however, said fireworks-related activity was lower than last year and celebrations largely tapered off after 12.30am. “We are assessing reports. If there is concrete evidence, the matter will be taken up with the police,” the official said.
He added that winter conditions, such as fog and stagnant air often worsen air quality, as smoke and particulate matter remain trapped near the ground for extended periods.