CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) issued a media alert on Wednesday after high air pollution affected Chennai in the evening on Deepavali.“On observing...high concentration of particulate matter (PM) and the release of sulphate aerosols by 7 pm, we alerted the public to slow their pace of bursting crackers,” said Dr K Karthikeyan, member secretary of TNPCB. The campaign had effect and the PM levels after 8.15 pm indicated a drastic reduction, he added. Interestingly, around 6 pm on Wednesday, the monitoring system recorded 39.08 micrograms, much less than the PM level on normal days when it is over 100 mg/m3 in busy areas. “This was because of the rains in the afternoon washed out the air-remains of fireworks burst in the morning and fewer vehicles plied on the roads,” the official said. Hand-held monitoring machines used in Triplicane, Sowcarpet, T Nagar, Ayanavaram and Nungambakkam on Wednesday indicated that noise levels in these areas touched 100 decibels during the day, with T Nagar recording the most consistent level. There was poor visibility the evening due to low winds and high humidity, said a senior TNPCB official, adding that cracker waste will be disposed like hazardous waste. On average, over 100 tonnes are disposed of in the city during Deepavali.
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