Kolkata air quality dips as people burst crackers to ring in New Year

The city's air quality turned 'poor' on Saturday morning, hours after revellers burst firecrackers to ring in 2022, an official of West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) said.

People of Kolkata woke up to grey skies as emission from firecrackers, coupled with winter smog, added to the pollution levels, he said.

At the monitoring station of Ballygunge, the air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 237 around 11 am, while the one at Rabindra Bharati University logged 239.

Similarly, at Fort William, the AQI clocked 179 during that hour, and at Jadavpur it was 187.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

"We are asking people to avoid bursting firecrackers and go for low-key celebrations owing to the COVID-19 situation. It is, however, not possible to check every alley in the city," the official said.

A day ago, the AQI hovered between 102 to 150 in south Kolkata and around 180 in north Kolkata.