Midnapore, Nov. 9 -- Diwali celebrations triggered a sharp spike in particulate pollution in West Bengal's Midnapore district, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels surging by nearly 73 per cent in just 24 hours, while the concentration of smaller particles (PM1) shot up by 83 per cent, according to a two-day assessment conducted across 20 locations in the town.
The assessment, carried out by the Postgraduate Department of Geography at Raja Narendralal Khan Women's College (Autonomous) under the leadership of Dr Pravat Kumar Shit, Assistant Professor of Geography, recorded a rise in all three categories of particulate matter - PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 - at every monitoring location on November 8 compared with the previous day.
The averag...