Minister Agnimitra Paul says rose water to be used for mist spraying in Kolkata; environmentalist slams move

West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul says rose water will be mixed into mist spraying on special occasions, while environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh says the city’s air needs cleaning at the source West Bengal Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul has said that, on special occasions, rose water will be mixed with the water normally used for mist spraying to control air pollution in the city.

The move drew criticism from an environmentalist, who argued that the city’s air needed to be cleaned at the source rather than through such cosmetic interventions. In a Facebook post in Bengali, Ms. Paul said the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has regularly been spraying water mist at various locations across the city, particularly in areas where the Air Quality Index (AQI) is relatively high.

This was being done under the direction of the State government to control air pollution in Kolkata and make the city’s environment cleaner. The initiative is helping reduce the concentration of dust particles in the air and keep AQI levels somewhat under control, she said.

Alongside these measures, rose water will be mixed with the water used for mist spraying on special occasions and during various festivals, including Kali Puja, she said. “This will not only help control dust particles in the air but also spread the pleasant fragrance of rose water throughout the surrounding environment...

Our goal is to build a cleaner, fresher and fragrant Kolkata. We will continue our efforts to make the city more habitable,” Ms. Paul said in the post on Saturday (November 7, 2026). “A few days ago, during my visit to London, I had observed that the AQI in several areas there was below 10, and in some places, even close to 1.

This was truly astonishing. In contrast, Kolkata’s AQI rarely falls below 200 for most of the year,” she said. This situation is a matter of concern for the health of all residents, and that is why the authorities are making continuous efforts, within their means, to improve the quality of air in the city, the Minister said.

Questioning Ms. Paul’s proposal, environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said on Sunday (November 8, 2026) that the city needs concrete measures to curb air pollution rather than cosmetic interventions. “Spraying rose water might make the air smell pleasant temporarily but would do little to address the underlying pollution problem.

Rose water won’t fix Kolkata’s air. But clean action will. With due respect to the minister, the fragrance will vanish within two minutes. Kolkata’s air does not need perfume; it needs cleaning at the source,” Mr. Ghosh said.

Mr. Ghosh also said ageing diesel and petrol vehicles were among the major contributors to PM2.5, PM10 and black carbon emissions. To make the air clean, he urged the authorities to stop the practice of coal-fired cooking stoves at roadside eateries and food stalls, suggesting a transition to cleaner LPG or electric cooking systems, with financial and logistical support for small vendors.

He further proposed deploying 100 water cannons across the city to wash roads, flyovers and dust-prone corridors, claiming that the measure would help settle suspended dust particles and remove accumulated dust from tree leaves.

On Sunday afternoon, ahead of Kali Puja and Deepavali, Kolkata’s average AQI stood at 165 (PM2.5), according to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reading. This reading is described as “Moderate” (101-200) on the CPCB scale.

However, readings from individual monitoring stations operated by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) indicated considerable variations in pollution levels across different neighbourhoods in the last few days.

The AQI had touched 232 on November 7, 2026, in the “Poor” category, with monitoring stations at Jadavpur and Bidhannagar recording particularly high pollution levels. Other monitored locations, including Ballygunge, Fort William, Rabindra Bharati University, Rabindra Sarobar and Victoria, reported moderate air quality.