It was 2016 when Prasanta Purkait, 43, a technician for a pest control company here in West Bengal’s capital, first experienced difficulty breathing. He noticed an uneasiness in his throat and a heavy feeling in his chest, the symptoms progressively worsening while a persistent cough would not subside despite medication.

Living in a densely populated South Kolkata locality near Gariahat police station, Purkait cycles about 10 km every day to different parts of Kolkata for work.

Over time, the city’s air pollution took a toll on his health, leading to a diagnosis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As these conditions progressively damage his lungs and strain his heart, Purkait continues to cycle through the congested streets for his job.

"I have never smoked,” said Purkait. Doctors told him Kolkata's pollution was to blame. "I wear masks and gargle with warm water… but my symptoms become unbearable during the winter."

In November 2023, Kolkata’s air quality was in the ‘moderately polluted’ and ‘poor’ categories according to the ​​National Air Quality Index run by the union ministry for environment, forests and climate change (MoEF&CC), which considers eight pollutants including particulate matter and noxious gases.

Kolkata’s AQI levels hovered between 195 and 271 in the winter of 2023, crossing 300 in January 2024. As per AirNow, following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency index, an AQI over 100 is considered "unhealthy for sensitive groups," while 151-200 is "unhealthy" for the general public and poses increased risks for sensitive groups.

Levels between 201-300 are "very unhealthy," with heightened health risks for everyone. AQI exceeding 301 is labelled "hazardous," indicating emergency health conditions affecting everyone.

During this period, Kolkata's PM 2.5 level, which measures inhalable particulate matter or dust particles of diameters below 2.5 micrometres or microns, were up to 20 times higher than the WHO’s safe limit.



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