CHENNAI: Burning things might be fun but pollution levels for the celebration of Bhogi have rendered the City’s skylines nigh invisible and the air dangerously unbreathable almost every year. This year’s air pollution level was worse than last year’s in several locales.
According to data from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, recorded between 8 am Wednesday to 8 am on Thursday, nine out of the 15 stations in city recorded higher pollution levels of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), than last year. Five locales recorded significant increase.
At the top of the suspended dirt list was Manali, which saw RSPM go from 172 microgram per cubic metre to 298 microgram per cubic metre.
The only areas where pollution levels decreased were Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur. However, the National Air Quality Index (AQI) of the Central Pollution Control Board recorded pollution levels for its Alandur station to have touched an average of 222 at 9 am in the morning. At its maximum, AQI for the station was equalling that of New Delhi’s own abysmal AQI in terms of RSPM. Both the Anand
Vihar station in New Delhi and Chennai’s Alandur station recorded RSPM/PM 2.5 maximums of 500.
The only consolation was that Chennai’s gaseous pollutants - sulphur di oxide and nitrogen di oxide - remained within permissible limits, according to the TNPCB. The increasing levels of RSPM however remain a serious concern due to the effect such pollution has on human health. Most particles inhaled by the body are filtered out by passing through the nostrils. However those smaller than 10 microns or less, (RSPM) gets deposited in the air sacs of lungs, interfering with respiratory actions and increasing pressure on the heart. They lead to difficulty in breathing, cause chronic coughing and may lead to cardiopulmonary problems, asthma, bronchitis etc.
