According to a recent assessment by HEI SoGA, Kolkata is the second most polluted city in the world, trailing only the national capital Delhi. According to the report, population density in these two cities has been the main contributing cause of why India’s two top cities are listed as having poor air quality based on the amount of PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide in the air.
Mumbai, the commercial center of India and one of the top 20 most polluted cities in the world, is the only other Indian city to appear on the list. Mumbai is ranked 14th overall.
Environmentalists and activists, however, contend that in addition to population, there are other factors causing Kolkata’s high levels of air pollution, with vehicle fuel emissions accounting for the majority of the pollution at 60%.
Environment experts like Bose Institute professor Abhijit Chattopadhyay, environmental scientist Dipanjali Majumdar, and environmental activist Vinay Jaju attended a recent workshop on Air Quality Leadership for media professionals.
Both Majumdar and Jaju acknowledged that, in addition to population density, automobile fuel emissions continue to be the main cause of the city’s high rate of air pollution, but they also noted that other man-made factors, such as the numerous street vendors who cook their food in the open on coal or kerosene ovens, contribute to the pollution.
Speaking to IANS, environmental campaigner Somendra Mohan Ghosh noted that the state government had taken the initiative to start distributing electric induction cookers to replace coal and kerosene ovens. However, the process came to a halt when only about 1,500 of the city’s 10,000+ street food vendors received such equipment.
According to Chattopadhyay, the reckless burning of trash in public spaces is the second and main cause. He emphasized the need for the KMC’s 144 wards to implement a rubbish segregation system.
The third factor is the city’s real estate activities, particularly in the region next to the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, which was meant to be Kolkata’s breathing space. Due to the excessive piles of construction debris, the air is contaminated as a result. The real estate promoters were to be targeted in a coordinated effort by the corporation, police, and environment department authorities.
News Mania Desk
