Air quality deteriorates in Kolkata; Govt mulls emergency steps – India Today

The quality of air in Kolkata has deteriorated further in the past few days prompting the State government to take measures to curb the pollution.

An increase in the pollution level has also raised health risks.

By Anirban Sinha Roy: The air quality in Kolkata plummeted according to the recent Air Quality Index (AQI), which suggested that the current PM 2.5 concentration in the city was much above the recommended limit by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

While speaking to India Today, West Bengal’s Minister of Environment, Manas Bhunia, said, “The state government is working keeping various issues in mind. Measures to reduce pollution are underway in important cities of West Bengal, including Kolkata.”

“We have taken certain measures like water sprinkling all around Kolkata to subdue the deteriorating air quality,” said the minister.

Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said, “There is more dust than usual in the sky of Kolkata at the moment. Zoos and various eco parks are witnessing pollution, which will also harm animals and humans. Kolkata has more SPM levels compared to the past two weeks.”

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“The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of emergency measures that could be adopted to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in KMA. The GRAP lists a set of measures to be followed to tackle air pollution in Kolkata and its adjacent areas according to the severity of the situation,” said Mohan Ghosh.

“Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) should invoke measures under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect in the polluted areas at Kolkata and Howrah where AQI level is between 300 and 400 in last few weeks,” Mohan Ghosh further said.

An increase in the pollution level has also raised health risks. Dr Arindam Biswas, a specialist in Internal Medicine at RN Tagore Hospital in Kolkata, suggested people to remain cautious.

“The particulate matter is the most harmful for the lungs. Asthma, Bronchitis patients need to be careful as it hampers eye and skin health. But the most susceptible thing is it will affect life after ten years. You will not get to know now, but after ten years, it will be life-threatening,” said Arindam Biswas.

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