Fires in nearby forests and dumping ground engulf Siliguri in smoke at nights for past few days

 Air Quality Index touched 200 mark, which can affect senior citizens and children, because of smoke

Smoke envelops Siliguri on Tuesday,  Picture by Passang Yolmo

TT, Siliguri, 20.03.24 : The city has been engulfed in smoke in the evenings and at night for the past few days because of fires in nearby forests and on the dumping ground near here.

Mayor Gautam Deb convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday to find out ways to resolve the problem. The AQI (Air Quality Index) touched the 200 mark, which can affect senior citizens and children, because of the smoke.

“We spoke to experts who said accidental fires in the foliage of the forests adjacent to the city were causing the smoke. Most areas of the city are under a thick cover of smoke after sunset. As a result, AQI has increased to 200,” Deb said after the meeting.

He will discuss the matter with the principal secretary of the state forest department and ask officials of the state fire services department to enforce necessary mechanisms to reduce the pollution, said a source.

Along with foresters, officials of the State Pollution Control Board were also present at the meeting.

Told that smoke was billowing out of the dumping ground where tons of garbage were deposited every day, an official at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) said: “Around 50 per cent of the waste has been removed from the yard, which is spread over an area of around 11 acres, for recycling. The tender process for managing the remaining waste is in progress. A bid for Rs 55 crore is invited and we plan to finish the process by this year. Drop gates and CCTV cameras will be installed at the yard to

prevent the indiscriminate disposal of waste.”

At the meeting, Deb also said a private agency engaged by the Pollution Control

Board was conducting a survey to pinpoint the reasons for pollution in Siliguri. The agency is likely to submit its report in the next three months.

“Once we get the report, we will take appropriate steps on the basis of their recommendations to curb pollution. I have also asked the Siliguri Metropolitan Police to take preventive measures to reduce sound pollution,” the mayor said.

Senior officials of Kurseong and Baikunthapur forest divisions — forests located adjacent to Siliguri are under these divisions — said they have started monitoring in respective ranges to prevent any accidental fire.

“Our employees are regularly conducting mobile patrolling to douse any fire found in any forest patch,” said a forester.