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Kolkata was the most polluted city in the world on Tuesday as the pollution levels shot off the charts to reach a PM 2.5 count of 565 at 5am, the Times of India reported.
The stats were released by the US Embassy and Consulate that monitors emissions around the globe. Kolkata's 565 count was 9 times more than the permissible limit of 60, higher than any other city in the world including Delhi, which recorded less than half PM 2.5 emissions than the West Bengal Capital on Tuesday.
According to TOI, Environmentalists pointed out that construction fumes, emission from vehicles and other environmental factors could have been responsible for the surge.
Environmentalist SM Ghosh called this event shocking as well as mystifying, when he was approached by TOI.
Ghosh also told ToI that, "In winter, these particulate matter can't disperse easily due to the chill and the fog which traps them. As night progresses, it worsens with trucks carrying construction material plying through the city. Also, open fires lit for warmth adds to the pollution count.”
According to environmental researcher Sudipta Bhattacharya, the major cause behind this surge has been ill-maintained vehicles. Bhattacharya argued that firstly, most vehicles in the city do not comply to pollution norms and secondly, most commercial vehicles that ply through the night and early in the morning shoot SPM into the air. Since that is the time when the temperature is at its lowest, the pollutants stay trapped in the air.
The SPM count remained above 500 between 1 am and 6 am on Tuesday, getting to a high of 565 at around 5 am. The pollution level started dropping from 7am onwards.
The US consulate website has classified the SPM count of 301-500 as hazardous, it does not have a category for a higher count.
As of 17 January, around 12:30 pm, Kolkata’s PM 2.5 count was 501.
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(With inputs from Times of India.)
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Published: 17 Jan 2018,01:36 PM IST