Showers brought some respite
Kolkata: Kolkata gasped through another night of toxic air as unabated firecracker bursting on Monday pushed the PM2.5 pollution index into the ‘very poor’ category at all seven monitoring stations between 2 am and 4 am on Tuesday. The fresh onslaught, coming barely 24 hours after Kali Puja night witnessed an unprecedented pollution spike, prolonged the city’s exposure to hazardous firecracker emissions before showers brought some respite. Salt Lake recorded the highest PM2.5 sub-index of 392 around midnight, just eight points short of the ‘severe’ threshold. Rabindra Bharati University on BT Road followed with 386 at 1 am, indicating that the pollution surge continued till morning. Ballygunge peaked at 327 at 4 am, while Fort William recorded 305, Victoria Memorial 308 and Rabindra Sarobar 303 at the same hour. Jadavpur registered its highest reading of 319 at 2 am. The pollution surge followed an even more severe episode on Sunday, when fireworks sent PM2.5 sub-index readings beyond 400 at several stations. At RBU, the index had touched 450, while Salt Lake recorded 444 and Ballygunge 409 during peak revelry.
Meteorologists expect temperatures to decline gradually. Rain may bring temporary cooling, but a sustained winter chill will depend on clearer skies, drier conditions and the strengthening of northerly winds. the successive nights of pollution underscored the failure to contain firecracker use beyond the permitted hours Although Tuesday’s rain offered relief. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in Kolkata
However, before the rain, pollution was particularly alarming as pollution levels remained elevated until early morning.