Kolkata Was the Most Polluted City in the World on 16 Jan

Koklata’s PM 2.5 count crossed the 300-mark on 12 days out of the first 15 days of 2018.

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.

Kolkata’s PM 2.5 count crossed the 300-mark on 12 days out of the first 15 days of 2018, breaking all the records on Tuesday as it crossed the 550-mark. This air quality is said to be worse than that on the day of Diwali. 

Environmentalist SM Ghosh called this event shocking as well as mystifying, when he was approached by TOI.

Kolkata has no major polluting industry, nor is it witnessing a huge boom in construction activities. The East-West Metro project is the only major construction work in progress. It could indeed emit particulate matter in the Esplanade area where the US Consulate station is located. But this could be a contributing factor, not the only reason.

SM Ghosh, Environmentalist, as quoted by the Times of India.

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.

Another green activist argued that the sweeping of road and burning garbage early in the morning could also be a major factor.

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.

You can track AQI of all cities in real time here.

(With inputs from Times of India.)