A family celebrating Deepavali with fireworks at Parrys
A family celebrating Deepavali with fireworks at Parrys

Crackers light up Chennai, but air quality cracks under pressure

As per the official data, the stations in North Chennai were showing the highest spike in air pollution. The AQI of Alandur and Manali was 204 and 202 respectively.
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CHENNAI: As the bursting of firecrackers picks up pace across the city, Chennai on Wednesday slipped into the ‘moderately polluted’ category as the Air Quality Index (AQI) came down to 115.

Although the city experienced heavy showers, the air quality remained compromised for most part of the day. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), AQI of 100-200 is categorised as moderately polluted which would cause breathing discomfort to people with lung and heart ailments.

The city has eight continuous ambient air monitoring stations (CAAMS), of which five are operated by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and three by CPCB. As per the official data, the stations in North Chennai were showing the highest spike in air pollution. The AQI of Alandur and Manali was 204 and 202 respectively, which is ‘poor’ air quality.

It’s not just because of firecrackers, North Chennai air quality has always been bad compared to south Chennai because of high concentration of polluting industries like thermal power plants, petrochemical units and movement of heavy vehicles on badly managed roads which throws-up fine particulate matter in the form of road dust.

The weathermen predict that the air pollution may remain a matter of concern for the next few days and smoggy mornings can be expected. With sky conditions likely to remain partly cloudy with forecasts of only light to moderate rains, the dispersion of pollutants will be slow. P Senthilkumar, principal secretary, environment, forests and climate change department, has appealed to the public to burst crackers only during the designated two slots between 6am to 7am and 7pm to 8pm.

Meanwhile, TNPCB will continuously monitor air quality in seven locations - Besant Nagar, T Nagar, Nungambakkam, Triplicane, Sowcarpet, Valasaravakkam, and Tiruvottiyur. Till October 28, the data shows all the locations reported good or satisfactory air quality, officials said.

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