Siliguri air pollution level rises

SANKHA GHOSH, SNS, 7 NOVEMBER 2018: The sound demon may have been less to some extent yesterday, but there has been a significant rise in the air pollution in Siliguri. Figures at the Central Pollution Control Board suggest that the air quality of the town was 'poor.' The Air Quality Index (AQI) was 289 for the past 24 hours.

According to local people, the noise pollution was less last night Siliguri mayor Asok Bhattacharya, however, said there was hardly any restrictions on bursting of sound crackers as no one seemed to follow the Supreme Court's two -hour windowed 8 pm- 10 pm for doing so.

"It was like there was no bar in bursting high decibel firecrackers. People kept bursting them last evening. There was gross violation of the Supreme Court directive, while the police did not play a pro-active role," Mr Bhattacharya claimed.

Nature lovers, however, said how much people of Siliguri would obey the court order and what the role of the police would be, will be seen today when people actually celebrate Diwali and play with firecrackers.

"Unlike previous years when the noise demons would play havoc, yesterday it was not very high. Many people started bursting firecrackers before 8 pm. But thereat scenario of Siliguri will be clear today when people observe Diwali," said programme coordinator for the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation, (HNAF) Animesh Bose. There are allegations that firecrackers are being used at many places well after 10 pm. Officials at the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB),meanwhile, said that the sound pollution was considerably lower than earlier, but that the air pollution levels had gone up. The AQI of Siliguri was moderate (193) till 4 pm yesterday but it went up later.

It appears that the AQI reached the 289 mark in the past 24 hours following the use of firecrackers and this air quality has been categorized as poor. Exposure for a long period of time in such a situation leads to breathing discomfort" said an official.

The WBPCB has started dedicated monitoring of the air quality of Siliguri by collecting data for the twin festivals--Kali Puja and Diwali.

"We have the automatic AQ monitoring station at Tinbatti More.The station records data 24X7, but we have now stressed on finding out how the tiny particulate matter (PM 10) level varies during this time when firecrackers are used during the twin festivals," said a WBPCB PM 10 is particulate matter in the air smaller than 10 micrometre. Exposure to high concentration of PM 10 even for a short duration can cause serious respiratory and heart problems, experts say.

"The pollution level in Siliguri is on the rise, and there has been irreversible damage to the environment during the Kali Puja and Diwali. The law enforcing agencies should be proactive to take necessary steps to ensure that there would be no use of firecrackers before and after the Supreme Court deadline," Mr Bose said.

Deputy Commissioner of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, East. Zone 1, Guarav Lal, said police had detained some persons for bursting crackers after the deadline.

"We are taking all necessary steps and we have seized a significant number of banned firecrackers," he said.

The noise limit for crackers in West Bengal is 90 decibels.