Roadside ovens, fires add to pollution woes

Kolkata: Environmentalists have raised concerns about the return of street-side cooking using coal, charcoal and wood, especially at a time when the city's air quality index (AQI) is consistently poor. This June, the administration cracked down on hawkers, including the polluting food hawkers, after a nudge from CM Mamata Banerjee. But the vendors have returned with their age-old practice of using pollutant fuels for cooking. Open flame cooking methods, such as using charcoal grills or tandoors, release large amounts of smoke and particulate matter directly into the air. This worsens air quality in surrounding areas, especially in densely populated areas. In areas with high concentrations of street food vendors, like in the Central Business District, the cumulative effect of multiple cooking sources can exacerbate air pollution levels."Food hawkers use fuels like coal, charcoal, or wood for cooking. The combustion of these fuels releases harmful pollutants into the air, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds," said emission expert Somendra Mohan Ghosh.The areas where open cooking is rampant are Dalhousie, Burrabazar, R N Mukherjee Road, Esplanade, Ganesh Chandra Avenue, College Street, Park Street, Camac Street, Rabindra Sadan, Sector V, among others. Close to 65% hawkers in the city are food hawkers, and only a minuscule number use LPG or some sort of electric appliance like a sandwich maker or an OTG. The state pollution control board has announced an initiative to transform the coal fired chullahs used on pavements, both by street food vendors and those ironing clothes, to gas-based ones. But a large majority of tea shops and ‘bhater hotel' still use fossil fuel to do the cooking."Charcoal is available for much less than commercial LPG. We do not have power connections to use induction or other appliances," said Raju Ghosh, a food hawker at India Exchange Place. "By 4 pm, the entire place is enveloped in a haze, with smog making it difficult to breathe," said Vishal Jain, a senior executive in a stock brokerage firm on India Exchange Place.