Wettest July is also Kolkata's cleanest July
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Kolkata: Torrential rain may have turned Kolkata's roads into a bumpy, congested mess, but it did one thing remarkably well—gave the city some of its cleanest air in years. According to air quality data analysed by TOI from the Victoria Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS), July 2025 was among the cleanest Julys in recent memory, second only to July 2023.
The city experienced frequent and heavy rainfall throughout the month, washing out suspended pollutants and reducing vehicular dust. A senior official from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) confirmed the trend: "The rains acted like a natural air purifier. Most monitoring stations reported 'Good' air quality on the majority of days."
The Victoria station, located on the southern edge of the city's iconic Maidan—often dubbed the city's "green lung"—is uniquely placed.
While two sides are buffered by vast open greens, the other two face heavy traffic zones and dense tailpipe emissions. This positioning makes it an ideal gauge of both nature's influence and urban pollution levels. The data shows a dramatic shift in July 2023 and 2025, where over 80% of the days recorded 'Good' AQI levels (0–50), indicating minimal air pollution.
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However, environmental experts are warning that this post-rain clean air may be short-lived.
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Once the dry spell returns, the damaged and crater-ridden roads—worsened by July's downpours—will become hotbeds of resuspended dust, contributing significantly to PM10 and PM2.5 levels. "Loose road dust from potholes and unpaved edges becomes airborne with just the movement of vehicles," explained Dipankar Dutta, former DG (Town Planning) of KMC.
"Given the current condition of Kolkata's roads, dust resuspension could emerge as a dominant pollutant source in the coming months."
The situation poses a double challenge: deteriorating road conditions that increase travel time and discomfort, and a surge in dust pollution once the monsoon recedes. Multiple source-apportionment studies have shown that resuspended road dust accounts for a significant portion of urban PM10 levels in Indian cities, especially during dry spells.
Kolkata's clean air in July, though encouraging, is a seasonal gift rather than a structural improvement. Unless the road infrastructure is promptly repaired, the city may soon return to moderate or even poor air quality, despite lower industrial emissions or vehicle numbers. In the weeks ahead, all eyes will be on whether the municipal agencies can act fast enough to fix roads before they become unwitting contributors to Kolkata's next pollution spike.
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