Kolkata: Even 10 days after Diwali and Kali Puja festivals, Kolkata’s air quality remained ‘poor’ causing serious health concerns to citizens. While Ballygunge area in the southern part of the city recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 296 at 6 pm on Thursday (November 23), Bidhannagar (284) in the east and Jadavpur (252) in the south were not far behind at the same time of the day, a West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) official said. Among other air monitoring stations, Rabindra Sarobar registered 254 AQI at 6 pm, he said, adding all the readings were classified as ‘poor’ in environmental terms.
Even an eco-sensitive zone such as Rabindra Sarobar crossed the 300 mark during the day, the official added.
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During the Kali Puja and Diwali festivals, the AQI ranged between 189 and 255 across the city. The official said as the wintry conditions set in and the temperature dipped below 20 degree celsius, cases of respiratory problems have started to spiral. The official added,
An AQI between 201 and 300 causes health alert, over 300 triggers health warnings of emergency conditions.
Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said,
The entire population is likely to be affected by serious health effects if there is no rain caused by depression or other weather disturbances.
Till a week ago, the AQI hovered between 100 – 200 (moderate) while on Tuesday, the average air quality ranged between 160-220 in the city.
AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor and 401-500 ‘severe’.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
