Air quality parameters within prescribed limits in Bengal

"The air quality data, monitored at five automatic air quality monitoring stations, are available on the website of the WBPCB," Environment Minister Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar said.

The 12 basic parameters were being monitored in view of a revised national air quality standard notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Dastidar said.

The parameters were Respirable Particulate Matters (RPM), PM 10, PM 2.5, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide, benzene, ozone, benzopyrene, arsenic, lead and nickel and were being measured at four monitoring stations at Shyambazar, Behala, Barrackpore and Durgapur.

Earlier the WBPCB used to measure only RPM, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

The monitoring stations were at Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Malda, Kalyani, Uluberia, Rabindra Bharati University, Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, Howrah, Durgapur and Haldia.

Ghosh Dastidar, who flagged off two mobile air-pollution measuring vehicles, said there would be Green Puja Award to motivate puja organisers to make the festival environment-friendly.

The minister said that two manual monitoring stations would measure the three air quality parameters at different locations to check possible variation in air quality during the Durga puja festival.(MORE)