Chennai’s air quality takes a turn for the worse
CHENNAI, JUNE 19, 2019 01:08 IST
Chennai’s annual air pollution report card is out. The city’s air quality index (AQI) mostly alternated between moderate and satisfactory, with good days being few and far between.
Even Adyar, a location with the best air quality levels when compared to other places in the city, saw poor days, according to the AQI for the period between April 2018 and March 2019 and this, despite being near the sea where dispersion happens due to sea breeze.
Satisfactory days are when air quality levels are between 51 and 100 micrograms/ cubic metre and moderate days are those with levels between 101 and 200 micrograms/cubic metre.
The report released by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) shows the annual average values of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide to be within prescribed standards in all the 28 stations that it monitors manually.
The PM10 (particulate matter in the ambient air below the size of 10 microns) values exceeded in few places which is mainly due to vehicular movement. The main reason for the higher values of PM10 is due to re-suspension of sand and dust matter on the roads due to heavy vehicular movement, said the release.
However, PM10 levels touched a maximum of 173 micrograms/cubic metre in Nungambakkam and the city's annual average touched 100 micrograms/cubic metre. The prescribed standards (annual average) for industrial, residential, rural and other areas are: PM10 - 60 micrograms/cubic metre and PM 2.5 - 40 micrograms/ cubic metre. The maximum level for all stations crossed 100 micrograms/cubic metre with T. Nagar touching 138 micrograms/cubic metre, Anna Nagar 161 micrograms/cubic metre, Adyar 107 micrograms/cubic metre and Kilpauk 128 micrograms/cubic metre.
Air quality levels are measured manually in five locations in the city — Anna Nagar, Nungambakkam, T. Nagar, Kilpauk and Adyar and the parameters recorded are sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5 and PM10 under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) by installing respirable dust samplers.
Chennai’s annual air pollution report card is out. The city’s air quality index (AQI) mostly alternated between moderate and satisfactory, with good days being few and far between.
Even Adyar, a location with the best air quality levels when compared to other places in the city, saw poor days, according to the AQI for the period between April 2018 and March 2019 and this, despite being near the sea where dispersion happens due to sea breeze.
Satisfactory days are when air quality levels are between 51 and 100 micrograms/ cubic metre and moderate days are those with levels between 101 and 200 micrograms/cubic metre.
The report released by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) shows the annual average values of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide to be within prescribed standards in all the 28 stations that it monitors manually.
The PM10 (particulate matter in the ambient air below the size of 10 microns) values exceeded in few places which is mainly due to vehicular movement. The main reason for the higher values of PM10 is due to re-suspension of sand and dust matter on the roads due to heavy vehicular movement, said the release.
Pollution on the rise
Past data from TNPCB shows that pollution levels in the city have only been increasing. During 2016-17, the maximum levels of PM10 in the ambient air, which is the air that we breathe, in T. Nagar registered 113 micrograms/cubic metre, Anna Nagar recorded 104 micrograms/cubic metre, Adyar 81 micrograms/cubic metre, Nungambakkam 137 micrograms/cubic metre and Kilpauk 125 micrograms/cubic metre.Air quality levels are measured manually in five locations in the city — Anna Nagar, Nungambakkam, T. Nagar, Kilpauk and Adyar and the parameters recorded are sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5 and PM10 under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) by installing respirable dust samplers.
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