Kolkata, Dec 25 (TIWN) A new year always brings with it a new hope for brighter days and this time, the expectations are even higher given that things, especially the economic activities, have started to pick up after a prolonged slowdown due to Covid pandemic.

However, on the environment front, the environmentalists have forecast a grim scenario as they see 2023 approaching with a serious threat for West Bengal. As per them, the pollution levels in Kolkata and some other district towns might reach worsening levels with the likelihood of average air quality index (AQI) in the state capital surpassing that of New Delhi.

Sounds unconceivable! But indications have been there with the advent of winter in the last month of 2022, where the AQI for Kolkata has been recorded worse than that of New Delhi on certain days. IANS takes a review on the threat factors as well as remedial measures on this count as suggested by environmentalist and green- technologists.

According to a recent report from HEI Soga, currently Kolkata is the second most polluted city in the world second after the national capital of New Delhi in the parameter of the quantity of PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide in the air. However, in the last month of 2022, there has been an indication that one day the pollution level in Kolkata is going above that of the national capital.

For the two consecutive days of December 12 and December 13 this year, the pollution level in Kolkata had been higher than that in Delhi as far as the air quality index (AQI) parameter is concerned. On both these days, the AQI levels were above 300 which falls under 'hazardous' category, as against Delhi's levels of 'very unhealth' on December 12 and 'unhealthy' on December 13.

According to the environmentalist and green-technologist Somendra Mohan Ghosh, this finding is an alarming indication. 'This shows that while at times the AQI levels in the national capital have started showing some minor positive trends, the situation is getting reversed. If administrative measures for pollution control are not implemented strictly, things will worsen for Kolkata as well as in the entire state in the coming years and if not the next year,' Ghosh said.

Environmental activists are of the opinion that a number of negative factors in the pollution- management system is fuelling the fast deterioration on this count. Of these negative factors some are typical for the state capital of Kolkata while some relate to the districts of West Bengal.