Open burning of waste is continuing unabated across the city with the onset of winter and leading to a downfall in the air quality.
Lack of awareness among people, poor monitoring by the authorities as well as poor waste management practices are to be blamed for the open burning of waste, said air quality management specialists.
A heap of dry leaves and other wastes were put on fire on Red Road, next to Mohammedan Sporting Club, on Wednesday (December 20) afternoon and thick smoke engulfed the area.
The waste included dry leaves, styrofoam plates, plastic bags and sacks.
An air quality management specialist said emissions from the burning of waste and dry leaves contributed to the ambient air quality that worsens immediately.
Waste burning is prohibited and anyone found to burn waste can be penalised, according to an official of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.
Metro saw two men picking up waste from the Maidan close to where the waste was burning. They were wearing green jackets, but the men said they did not ignite the waste. A security guard at the gate of the Mohammedan Sporting ground said he was troubled by the smoke but did not know who set the waste on fire.
Considered the lungs of the city, the vast swathes of Maidan are home to multiple sports clubs. The winter afternoons are also the time when many clubs bustle with people practising on the grounds.
Winters are known for poor and worse air quality in Calcutta.
At 8pm on Saturday, the air quality in five of the seven continuous air quality monitoring stations in the city reported “poor” air quality. The five stations were at Jadavpur, Ballygunge, Victoria Memorial, Fort William and Rabindra Sarobar. Two stations — at Rabindra Bharati University and Bidhannagar — reported “moderate” air quality.
According to the website of the National Air Quality Index, “poor” air quality can cause “breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure”.
Shyam Krishnan, a pulmonologist, said that exposure to smoke emanating from waste burning can cause sudden flare-ups of symptoms in people with existing lung conditions.
“Those with asthma and COPD may experience difficulty to breath, tightness in the chest and dry cough,” said Krishnan.
An air quality management specialist said the accumulation of dry waste, which is often burnt in the open, points out gaps in waste collection.