Manual monitoring stations has set up by the board in seven locations....
Schools in Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu, as well as in the Union Territory of On Monday the air quality in Chennai was “poor to very poor” due to bursting of firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control board said.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) observed in Chennai city from 6 am on Sunday -- the Diwali day -- for 24 hours ranges between 207 and 365, which denotes that the quality status was poor to very poor, the pollution board said.
In Chennai the manual monitoring stations has set up by the board in seven locations, Besant Nagar, T Nagar, Nungambakkam, Triplicane, Sowcarpet, Valasaravakkam and Tiruvottiyur.
The lowest AQI value was observed at Besant Nagar at 207 and the highest at Valasaravakkam at 365.
“This year 2023 during Deepavali a reduction of 40% of AQI was observed when compared to the previous year of Deepavali 2022,” the pollution board said in a statement.
On the Diwali day on November 12, the lowest noise level value observed was 60.5 dB(A) at T Nagar and the highest noise level value was 83.6 dB(A) at Valasaravakkam, according to the pollution board data.
The noise level values observed on Diwali day are higher than National Ambient Noise Standards -- 65.0 dB(A) during day time and 55.0 dB(A) during night time, the pollution board said.
The board said that monitoring is being conducted as per Central Pollution Control Board guidelines for a period of 15 days starting from November 5 at 6am up to November 19 closing at 6am. It accounts for the week before and after Diwali day.
Meanwhile, the Chennai police have registered 554 cases against those who burst crackers beyond the 2-hour period stipulated by the Supreme Court. Another 19 cases were registered against people for bursting crackers with excessive noise. Eight cases were booked against businesses who ran their firecracker shops in violation of the rules in Tamil Nadu, a police release said.
The recent announcement of school closures is a precautionary measure following the meteorological department's forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Cuddalore districts, and Puducherry on November 14.
The MET office reports the potential formation of a low-pressure area in the southeast Bay of Bengal, attributed to an upper air cyclonic circulation.
The Meteorological Department has issued a warning of squally weather, with anticipated wind speeds reaching up to 55 kmph, raising safety concerns.
Tamil Nadu relies on the North East Monsoon for essential drinking water and irrigation requirements. As of last week, the state has experienced a rainfall deficit of 17% compared to the normal levels.
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