Will Kolkata become the next New Delhi in the coming five years?

The issue of air pollution is rising in Kolkata. Considering this situation, can a city like Kolkata (where the AQI is already between 150-200, ‘very unhealthy’) be safe, or may it face a similar fate to that of Delhi in the near future?

Recently, Delhi’s air pollution grabbed the attention of the country when its Air Quality Index (AQI) reached the mark of 700 in some parts of the region. Schools were shut down, masks – once worn during the COVID-19 pandemic, again became common, and air pollution became a heated topic of discussion across various platforms. However, now – when the AQI slightly dropped to below 250, which is still ‘very unhealthy,’ the urgency has disappeared, and people have resumed their daily lives. This raises questions like- can this ignorance lead to a more vulnerable situation, and are other cities ‘safe’ from this advancing global concern?