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The present study investigates the seasonal dynamics of air pollution and associated health risks during festive periods in metropolitan and industrial zones of Eastern India focusing on the state of West Bengal. Using air quality data (PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, CO, SO₂, NO₂, O₃, benzene, and toluene) collected for the pre-festive, festive, and post-festive periods between 2022 and 2024 across seven districts, retrieved from the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) portal of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Government of India. The study reveals significant pollutant spikes during celebrations of festival activities such as Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath, and the concentrations also vary pre- and post-festive time. Moreover, industrial belts like Asansol exhibit a higher pollution hike during post-festive seasons. Health risk assessments (hazard quotient for non-carcinogenic and incremental life time cancer risk for carcinogenic effects) indicate elevated non-carcinogenic risk probability among the residents of Asansol (8.08E-01) and Kolkata (8.45E-01) exhibited values nearing the threshold, which indicates Exposure-related respiratory and cardiovascular risks, particularly in densely populated urban and industrial belts. Moreover, probable carcinogenic health risk was prevalent among the residents of Kolkata, Howrah, Asansol, Haldia which sometimes exhibits more than 1E-04. The findings highlight the urgent need for region-specific mitigation strategies, stricter emission controls, and public awareness initiatives to manage pollution surges and protect public health during cultural festivities.
Karmakar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.