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Kolkata’s toxic fumes

If 1862 kg of banned fire crackers were seized in Kolkata, it reaffirms the thriving trade in proscribed items, one that masquerades as seasonal commerce during a religious festival.

Kolkata’s toxic fumes

(Representational Image: iStock)

Though the firing of crackers, normally earsplitting, was relatively muted on the night of Kali puja, it is cause for alarm that the air quality index (AQI) was severely damaging till Monday morning. With 1100 people arrested for firing banned crackers, gambling and disorderly conduct, it becomes more than obvious that almost deliberate flouting of police directives is now part of the festival furniture. On closer reflection, upwards of 1000 arrests are seldom made in course of a single day even in the face of extensive violence in the city.

If 1862 kg of banned fire crackers were seized in Kolkata, it reaffirms the thriving trade in proscribed items, one that masquerades as seasonal commerce during a religious festival. Prudence would suggest that a crackdown is urgently effected on the supply chain. Specifically, the authorities will have to get to the bottom of such illegal and potentially deadly merchandise.

It may be some time before the city recovers from the toxic fumes. Indeed, the air quality index of 500 is of the poorest grade when viewed through the prism of the country’s AQI and is thus categorised as “severe”. While the citizens generally couldn’t care less, both the police and the pollution control authorities appear to be fighting a losing battle, and with their backs to the wall.

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The fears expressed by scientists that the actual air quality on the night of Diwali could be far worse are not wholly unfounded. Not the least because the pollution meters in the monitoring stations are calibrated in such a way that the index can never cross 500. The reality can indeed be dire. The Central Pollution Control Board has swiftly advanced a timely caveat ~ “Severe AQI can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing ailments.

Firecracker explosions release highly toxic chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic. The toxic chemicals get attached to fine particles like PM2, which act as the carrier of toxic substances inside our body. The toxic chemicals then enter the bloodstream and can even get lodged in the lungs and kidneys. The impact of such particles on the human body is dangerous.” Altogether, the Central PCB has addressed a warning to the police and the state pollution control authorities as well as the public health establishment.

Sad to reflect that there is as yet no law to counter air pollution on Diwali and certain other festive nights. The haze of pollution on Sunday was testament to the callous indifference, almost overwhelming. A concerted initiative is, therefore, imperative to contain the menace, unchecked from year to year. In the midst of the annual frenzy, the city contends with the haze, the smoke, and the deafening noise. It is no offence to religious sentiment to suggest that Kali puja and Diwali have come to showcase a triple whammy.

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