Festive pollution worsens resp distress across city

Kolkata: The incessant cracker bursting since Diwali has unleashed a constant onslaught of carcinogenic gases in Kolkata that are putting the respiratory tract under stress, say doctors. Allergic cough, sneezing, wheezing, and shortness of breath have led to a spurt in admissions and OPD footfalls across private hospitals over the last six days. With Chhath set to make things worse over the next 24 hours, there could be no respite for those with lung ailments.

"There was a sharp rise in patients with COPD who are suffering more severe spells of breathlessness or acute COPD. We received 61 patients at our respiratory OPD on Friday while the average is 30," said Subhashis Datta, GM – operations, Ruby General Hospital.


Charnock Hospital has seen a 20% rise in respiratory patients since Oct 20. "Due to the worsening of AQI following incessant bursting of firecrackers and a sudden temperature drop due to season change, there was an upsurge in viral lung infections in our OPDs," said Leena Mistry, consultant pulmonologist, Charnock Hospital. She added that patients with obstructive airway diseases need to be careful, avoid smoke from firecrackers, and overcrowded places.

"We've seen a clear post-Diwali rise in OPD visits due to pollution-triggered respiratory issues. Many with asthma or COPD are having acute flare-ups, while those prone to allergies are reporting dry cough and throat irritation," said Soutik Panda, chief of critical care, Woodlands Multi-speciality Hospital Ltd.

BP Poddar Hospital OPD and chest clinic have recorded a 40% rise in patient footfall, with most having symptoms like cough, throat irritation, and breathlessness. "Currently, we have 51 such patients in IPD," said Suproiyo Chakrabarty, chief adviser.

Firecracker smoke releases fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals, said Abhishek Kolay, consultant pulmonologist at BP Poddar. "These irritate the airways, causing narrowing and reducing gas exchange."

Manipal Hospitals has seen a noticeable increase in respiratory disease cases compared to the pre-Diwali period of 2024. The inpatient numbers have gone up by around 15% while the outpatient cases have risen by nearly 20%-25%, according to Debraj Jash, HoD pulmonology.

Techno DAMA Hospital pulmonologist Soumya Sengupta said: More than 40 patients came to me with exacerbation of COPD and asthma in the last four-five days, which is alarmingly high."