Kolkata will be breathing the most toxic air this winters
Kolkata’s Air Quality has been making headlines all through November and this is alarming because it is just the onset of winters. The Air quality is likely to worsen this December with lower temperature and lower mixing height of air will set in.
If you look at the trends from this data from the Victoria Monitoring Station which is located at the greenest patch in the city. The last 3 months show a clear declining trends of Air Quality. There is an urgent need for strong preventive action because as real winter sets in this will go worse due Temperature Inversion.
Normally the temperature of the atmosphere decreases with altitude, meaning the higher we go the colder it is. However, a temperature inversion occurs when the atmosphere actually becomes warmer as altitude increases. This typically occurs within a defined layer of the atmosphere. Temperature inversions, when they occur, have a major impact on air pollution and air quality. There are two types of inversions — permanent and surface — and each corresponds to a different impact.
It is Surface inversions that are responsible for producing smog, trapping the pollutants. In Kolkata most prominent sources of pollutants seem to be vehicles, Waste Burning , Construction activities, Road side chullahs etc.
Some of the measures that could be taken to prevent Kolkata citizens from this crisis includes:
Regulate or Ban the trucks that enter the city during the night leaving the city polluted.
Massive Pollution check Drive to identify and eliminate unfit vehicles from plying on Kolkata roads.
Zero Tolerance to waste burning: It is very common for waste workers and citizens to burn waste.
Measures should be taken at construction sites prevent dust from polluting the air.
Largely citizens need to be more responsible as none of us are immune to this, Citizens needs to minimise the use of their cars. If they are using diesel vehicles they must avoid it for public good.
Along with these measure we need public notification and advisories for citizens with respiratory issues, elderly and kids to minimise their exposure to the pollutants. For example, Indulging is outdoor activities like walking, running, yoga during the early hours of the morning when the Air Quality is worst is very dangerous. This lacks awareness and while people might be perceiving these activities good for their health this might be causing more harm to them.
Air Pollution is very complex challenge and we cannot blame this on governments alone. Unless citizens take up initiatives and become more responsible and ethical in their actions we are most likely to suffer and make our cities far from liveable. Citizens need to be ethical when they go for their PUC Certification and not “manage” a certificate for their unfit vehicles. If citizen refuse to ply on a ola or uber or any other public mode of transport where black smoke is visible out of its exhaust, This will force these vehicles out of the roads.
Lastly, Don’t take breathing for granted, An adult human weighing about 70kg has a resting respiratory rate of 12 breaths a minute. 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day makes 17 820 breaths in a 24-hr period. During this time he/She will inhale about 8640 litres of air.
Air Pollution impacts are not always immediate, But this this invisible problem is a silent killer. Beware of your breath!
