Kolkata, Nov 19 The Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in most places in the West Bengal capital of Kolkata and its adjacent Howrah town are showing an alarming rise though the situation is better than what it is at the national capital of New Delhi.
A comparative study of the readings of AQI levels in Kolkata and Howrah shows that the situation is more alarming in Howrah than in Kolkata.
The average reading of the AQI monitoring stations till Tuesday afternoon has been recorded between 222 and 293, which comes under the “purple” or “very unhealthy category”.
Under this category, the risk of health effects is increased for everyone.
While the situation is comparatively better in Kolkata, environmentalists believe that precautions are a must.
In two of the seven AQI monitoring stations in Kolkata, the readings are between 2023 and 227, which are again under the “purple” or “very unhealthy category”.
Of the remaining five monitoring stations, the readings are between 176 and 195, which are under the “red” or “unhealthy” category. Under this category, there are chances of some members of the general public experiencing health effects while members of sensitive groups can experience more serious health effects.
Only in two AQI monitoring stations, the reading is at 137, which comes under the “orange” or “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category. Under this category, although the sensitive groups have a chance of experiencing health effects, the general public is less likely to be affected.
Recently, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare minister has sent advisories of caution to all the state governments and the Union territory authorities to take precautionary measures about combating population-related diseases.
“Vulnerable populations including children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with pre-existing conditions and workers exposed to pollution are particularly at risk. To address the issue, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has prepared advisories and circulated them to all States & UTs. This advisory includes recommendations for States/Union Territories (UTs) to strengthen existing health systems and to raise awareness among vulnerable groups and at-risk occupations," the central advisory read.
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