Covid-19: Kolkata air turns better amid restrictions

KOLKATA: Within five days of stringent restrictions being imposed on May 16, the air quality in the city has improved remarkably as non-essential industrial activities and movement of the majority of vehicles have been suspended.
Health experts said improved air quality would help in faster recovery from Covid as most symptomatic patients ended up with lung infection.

Though Bengal had been under complete lockdown in May 2020, the restrictions this month led to more number of “good” days than lasy. “It is partly because of the higher rate of infection and greater awareness that have made restrictions successful. Intermittent rains and norwesters are also reasons,” said a West Bengal Pollution Control Board scientist.
On May 4, the state started imposing restrictions, which led to a certain degree of emission reduction. But from May 16, a marked improvement in the ambient air was clear, said environment activist Somendra Mohan Ghosh.
Ballygunge already showed 11 good air days (AQI: 1-50) in 21 days, compared to 10 out of 31 days last year. On the B T Road Campus of Rabindra Bharati University, which recorded poor and severe days in winter, showed 11 satisfactory air days (AQI: 51-100), while May last year had only four such days.
“The improvement of air quality has beneficial effect on patients with chronic respiratory related ailments, like COPD, asthma, ischaemic heart disease. Visits to OPDs and clinics have decreased out of virus fear. But we checked out individually and found out that most of them are doing better even in these grim hours,” said Subir Ghosh, a respiratory medicine expert.