The exercise aims to move beyond conventional air quality readings and examine whether differences in pollutant composition translate into different public health outcomes across regions. “If toxicity levels differ between urban and rural areas, the health implications will also differ,” he said. Budget must put real resources behind itHe pointed out that the Air Quality Index (AQI), commonly used as a public-facing measure of air pollution, may not fully capture how harmful the pollutants are in different locations. This has led us to examine whether urban industrial and rural pollutants are equally toxic,” the official said. Rudra added that sustained efforts by the state environment department and the WBPCB in recent years have led to an improvement in the overall air quality index situation.

Source: The Telegraph February 03, 2026 15:35 UTC