Kolkata faced widespread noise pollution and deteriorating air quality on Diwali night, with banned high-decibel firecrackers being burst across neighbourhoods beyond the permitted 8pm-10pm window and violations continuing into the early hours. Hospitals and residential areas were among the locations affected, while police arrested 11 people and seized around 50kg of illegal crackers by 8.30pm on Sunday.
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board received 14 complaints by 9.30pm, compared with four on Saturday. The complaints came mainly from Haridevpur, Baguiati, Sonarpur, Phoolbagan, Kasba, Patuli, Golf Green and Taltala. Five PCB teams reported noise norm violations from different parts of the city, according to sources cited in the report.
Naba Datta, secretary of environmental organisation Sabuj Mancha, said firecracker explosions were also reported on the premises of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. He said noise levels were above 80 decibels at RG Kar and about 100 decibels at Dr BC Roy Children’s Hospital during the evening. The report said the ambient noise level in hospitals should not exceed 40 decibels after sundown.
The noise surge coincided with a sharp rise in fine particulate pollution. Hourly data showed Salt Lake’s PM2.5 level increasing from 117 at 4pm to 330 at 11pm and reaching 336 at 1am. In Ballygunge, the level rose from 148 to 321 between 4pm and 11pm, while Jadavpur recorded an increase from 159 to 326 during the same period. At Fort William, PM2.5 rose from 120 at 4pm to 268 at 1am.
Other monitoring locations also recorded unhealthy air. Rabindra Bharati University recorded PM2.5 at 265 at 3pm, while the level at Victoria Memorial reached 233 around 3am. PM2.5 readings between 201 and 300 are classified as poor, while readings between 301 and 400 are classified as very poor.
The firecracker activity began soon after 8pm, intensified after 10pm and continued across the city into the early hours. The affected areas included New Alipore, Golf Green, Kalighat, Garia, Kasba, Sarsuna, Taltala, Girish Park, Jorabagan, Kankurgachhi, Maniktala, Nagerbazar, Sinthee, Ultadanga, Lake Town, Bangur Avenue, Baguiati, Narkeldanga and Kestopur. Residents also reported repeated explosions near Wood Street, Theatre Road, Minto Park, Ballygunge Circular Road, Chakraberia and Lansdowne.
Residents said enforcement was inconsistent in several neighbourhoods. Aditya Roy, a Sinthee resident, said police arrived after he complained about chocolate bombs being burst outside his home, but the group returned after the police vehicle left. Rupsa Saha, who lives near Manipal Hospital in Dhakuria, said the noise continued until 3am despite her use of sleeping medication.
The disruption also affected animals and birds, with residents reporting dogs and cats running away and birds taking flight after midnight. Hospitals had recorded elevated ambient noise even on the eve of Kali Puja, including 72.7 decibels at RG Kar around midnight and 58.2 decibels at SSKM Hospital around 12.30am. The Central Pollution Control Board prescribes an ambient noise ceiling of 45 decibels for residential areas between 10pm and 6am. Police and pollution control teams continued enforcement and complaint monitoring across the city.
