THOOTHUKUDI: In just five years, the Thoothukudi corporation has substantially reduced PM10 emissions (tiny particulate matter) in the city. From being declared a 'non-attainment city' in 2018 due to high levels of PM10 emissions, the city has made huge strides, and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) recently appreciated the corporation's efforts in this regard.
With a string of industries and coal-fired thermal power plants dotting its periphery, the coastal city was plagued with major pollutants like SO2, NO2, PM10, PM2.5, CO, O3, and Benzene. It was listed among 131 'non-attainment cities' in the country. The list also included Madurai, Tiruchy and Chennai from Tamil Nadu. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) identifies cities as 'non-attainment' if they exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for five consecutive years.
PM10 is a minute particle less than 10 micrometres in diameter which could potentially infect the heart and lungs and cause serious health hazards. Industrial emissions, thermal power plants, vehicular emissions from cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles, besides dust from construction sites are sources of PM10.
As per the NAAQS, the permissible level of PM10 is 60 ug/m3. To control PM10 emissions, the MoEFCC launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019 to fund polluted cities to ensure fresh air for the public. According to the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme, the PM10 was as high as 137 ug/m3 in 2017-18 in Thoothukudi. This has been reduced to 63 ug/m3 in 2023-24.
In a recent online conference, MoEFCC Secretary Leena Nandan appreciated five Indian cities, including Thoothukudi, for their consistent efforts to reduce the PM10 level. A senior official from TNPCB told TNIE that the efforts of Thoothukudi corporation like greening activities, end-to-end roads, biomining of the dump yard, and removal of dust along the roads have yielded good results.
Speaking to TNIE, Mayor N Jegan Periyasamy said that the pollution level has been reduced following strict implementation of the action plan given by TNPCB. The greening activities and pollution mitigation efforts taken under Smart Cities Mission schemes, NCAP, NAMP and convergence schemes have substantially reduced the pollution. "More than 3 lakh tree saplings, including 2 lakh saplings at corporation dumpyard, were planted in the past two years," he noted.
Traffic diffusion has been a main component for reducing the PM10 level in the action plan, Jegan said adding that the corporation had constructed new roads and improved road conditions for a stretch of 250 km to ease the vehicular traffic. It includes concrete roads for six km on both sides of Buckle canal. To control dust pollution, arterial roads were converted into end-to-end roads at a cost of `1.12 crore. These roads were shouldered with walking pavements and drain canals.
"The removal of chemical spillage and dust on roads using cleaning machines was expedited. The frequency of mechanical sweeping was increased to 6 km per day," the mayor pointed out. Besides, multi-level parking facilities, children's parks in populated areas, and strict monitoring of solid waste management had also been implemented, as per the action plan.
Corporation Commissioner L Madhubalan told TNIE that the concerted efforts of the officials of various departments and the mayor had resulted in substantially mitigating the PM10 level. "We will continue to enforce strict measures to ensure the city is lifted out of the non-attainment city list," he added.
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Year PM10 in Thoothukudi
2017-18 137 ug/m3
2018-19 96 ug/m3
2019-20 87 ug/m3
2020-21 84 ug/m3
2021-22, 90 ug/m3
2022-23 63 ug/m3
2023-24 63 ug/m3