Call to solve Siliguri pollution problems

Concerned about the rising pollution levels in Siliguri, a voluntary organisation on Tuesday sought measures to be taken against the…

Statesman News Service | Siliguri | April 18, 2018 4:55 am

Call to solve Siliguri pollution problems

Concerned about the rising pollution levels in Siliguri, a voluntary organisation on Tuesday sought measures to be taken against the same. Members of the Green Forum also demanded that authorities concerned find a solution to the problem.

“Siliguri, once one of the cleanest and greenest towns in India, has witnessed an alarming rise in air pollution levels in the last half decade,” Sujit Raha, the Joint Convener of Green Forum, told a press conference here on Tuesday.

According to him, Siliguri surpassed various cities in India to be labeled as the most-polluted urban centres within the country in March this year. With residents of the town starting to grow concerned about the perils of the worsening pollution levels, the demands for intervention from experts in the matter has begun to stem well.

The air quality in the town has reportedly gone poorer than Delhi. The prime cause behind such a surge in the pollution levels in Siliguri remains a mystery.

However, mass assumption shows that emissions from motor vehicles may be the ideal cause behind it, with those run on diesel being essentially looked upon as the main contributors.

“We would like experts and researchers in the field to find out the causes behind such pollution and a permanent diagnosis and cure from such a situation,” Mr Raha said. Exposure to such poor air quality is presumably known to result in severe health conditions, members of the organization said.

“Siliguri is a sub-Himalayan town surrounded by forests. There are no industries in this area. Apart from vehicular pollution and the pollution caused by large-scale road, construction work, there seems no apparent reason for such extreme air pollution,” Mr Raha said.