A recent study by scientists has revealed that Darjeeling, the queen of hills and a popular tourist destination may be on the way to becoming one of the most polluted cities of West Bengal.
The results of the study published in a paper titled ‘PM10 within Indian standard is achievable by mitigating the sources of PM1: A thirteen years (2009–2021) long study and future prediction (2024) over the eastern Himalayas, India’ , has come as a shock to not only the people of Darjeeling but also to millions of visitors who throng the hill station every year.
“The present study throws light on one of the geographically, climatically, and ecologically important high-altitude Himalayan stations in India where people have been contributing as well as experiencing huge pollution loads but remained out of sight of the policy makers. The study raises a serious concern in front of the policy makers that a high-altitude tourist station like Darjeeling in the eastern Himalayas would soon become a non-attainment city,” the paper stated.
