Heaps of garbage are being set on fire across the city almost every day, polluting the winter air with toxic fumes and violating the ban on open burning of waste. ADVERTISEMENTA senior official of the state Pollution Control Board (PCB) said that burning waste releases toxic elements into the air, which can have long-term health impacts. “The open burning of waste releases an enormous volume of particulate matter into the air, causing a sudden increase in its concentration,” said the PCB scientist. When these items are burned at low temperatures, as happens in open waste burning, toxic chemicals like furan and dioxin are released. An official of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said the civic body had issued an order against the open burning of waste.

Source: The Telegraph December 27, 2025 01:41 UTC