Cleanest Kolkata Kali Puja in recent memory: AQI stays low, pockets of noise remain

KOLKATA: The city had its cleanest Kali Puja-Diwali in recent memory on Monday, with significant dips in ambient noise and air pollution - except a few pockets - thanks to increased awareness and vigil and also as a direct fallout of Cyclone Sitrang.
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While successive court rulings, efforts of the state pollution control board (PCB) and increased vigil by cops helped build general awareness about the ill effects of crackers, Cyclone Sitrang, which spared Kolkata its wrath, also did its bit by bringing down SPM levels and discouraging would-be violators from stepping out.

In terms of noise, the usual high-decibel places like Kasba, Jadavpur, Dhakuria, Tollygunge, South Behala, Picnic Gardens, Ballygunge, Alipore, Hastings, Hatibagan and Shyambazar had a muted start early in the evening, compared with previous years. And even though the noise was lower than even 2020, in the middle of a raging pandemic, these zones reported several instances of noise violations, with indiscriminate bursting of firecrackers later in the evening. Though police and teams from the state pollution control board were deployed, it seemed to have little effect.
The Kolkata Police arrested 259 people and seized 420kg of illegal fireworks between 6.30pm and 11pm. Complaints came in from various pockets of Behala, Kasba, Mukundapur, the Lake area, Picnic Gardens, Phoolbagan and Garia.
The impact of the largely toned-down celebrations and Sitrang on air quality was immediate. The evening began with perceptible cleaner air. At 5pm, the air quality index (AQI) recorded at the Ballygunge Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) was 59 (in the 'satisfactory' range). On Diwali evening in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the AQI was 191 ('moderate'). Even later on, the AQI was within the 'satisfactory' range, never crossing the mid-50s .
"Apart from closely coordinating with cops, we activated green corps, students of more than 5,000 schools in Bengal as our eyes and ears against noise and air norms violation," said state PCB chairman Kalyan Rudra, adding, "The cyclonic storm and resultant rain also proved a blessing in disguise."
Other PCB experts TOI spoke to also thanked the weather system for the drop in pollution levels. Intermittent rain and a high wind velocity helped disperse pollutants faster than usual, said a PCB scientist.
Along with lack of availability of polluting crackers, self-awareness on part of residents and bans by multiple housing complexes in the city contributed to the drop in violations.
"Every year, we conduct a fireworks show during Kali Puja and Diwali. But this year, we cancelled the fireworks show and replaced it with a light and sound affair while banning all crackers in the complex," said Prakash Kedia, secretary of the residents' association of Silver Spring, off the EM Bypass.
Jadavpur resident Subhasree Basu said this was her "best Diwali and Kali Puja" in the last 20 years.
"There were sporadic bursts of crackers but it was way less than past years. Our pet dog, Barfi, also had a rather pleasant Diwali. But though better, the noise level increased after 8pm," she added.
Snehasis Dutta, a resident of Salt Lake's HA Block, said even "harmless fireworks, such as sparklers, flower-pots and charkis" were not available in local markets. "The result was there for all to see: we could spend a quieter and pleasanter Diwali."