Kolkata: The city woke up to a grey, smog-covered Sunday with visibility drastically reduced, as another monitoring zone — Victoria Memorial — entered the ‘poor’ category (AQI: 201-300), joining Ballygunge, Salt Lake, and Fort William. . This leaves only three Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in the ‘moderate’ category (AQI: 101-200), highlighting the city’s worsening air quality. Rabindra Sarobar narrowly escaped slipping into the ‘poor’ zone, as its AQI hovered close to the threshold.
The day’s fluctuating AQI readings reflected localized changes influenced by weather, traffic, and industrial activity, apart from trans-boundary pollution coming from neighboring states. Ballygunge saw a gradual improvement, with its AQI dropping from 271 in the morning to 257 by evening, while Salt Lake also showed progress, declining sharply from 247 to 201. However, Victoria Memorial experienced a dramatic plunge in air quality, with its AQI rising. from 171 (moderate) at 9 am to 232 (poor) by 7 pm, particularly spiking between 1 pm and 4 pm, likely due to increased tourist and vehicular activity. Fort William remained relatively stable, with AQI ranging from 216 to 220 throughout the day, indicating consistent pollution levels, possibly due to persistent vehicular movement, said a WBPCB scientist.
Jadavpur recorded a steady improvement, with its reading falling from 177 to 153, staying within the ‘moderate’ category, while RBU (BT Road) fluctuated, peaking at 174 in the afternoon before returning to 142 by evening. Sarobar’s AQI remained steady between 174 and 172, showing no significant variation but staying precariously close to the ‘poor’ category.
While some areas managed to reduce pollution levels, others like Victoria Memorial highlighted persistent challenges of urban air quality management in Kolkata.
The day’s fluctuating AQI readings reflected localized changes influenced by weather, traffic, and industrial activity, apart from trans-boundary pollution coming from neighboring states. Ballygunge saw a gradual improvement, with its AQI dropping from 271 in the morning to 257 by evening, while Salt Lake also showed progress, declining sharply from 247 to 201. However, Victoria Memorial experienced a dramatic plunge in air quality, with its AQI rising. from 171 (moderate) at 9 am to 232 (poor) by 7 pm, particularly spiking between 1 pm and 4 pm, likely due to increased tourist and vehicular activity. Fort William remained relatively stable, with AQI ranging from 216 to 220 throughout the day, indicating consistent pollution levels, possibly due to persistent vehicular movement, said a WBPCB scientist.
Jadavpur recorded a steady improvement, with its reading falling from 177 to 153, staying within the ‘moderate’ category, while RBU (BT Road) fluctuated, peaking at 174 in the afternoon before returning to 142 by evening. Sarobar’s AQI remained steady between 174 and 172, showing no significant variation but staying precariously close to the ‘poor’ category.
While some areas managed to reduce pollution levels, others like Victoria Memorial highlighted persistent challenges of urban air quality management in Kolkata.
