Deepavali 2023: AQI in various parts of Chennai deteriorates to 'Poor' category

CHENNAI: Post-Diwali, roads in Tamil Nadu's capital city Chennai were left littered with fireworks waste and the air quality dipped to poor early Monday morning. The air quality in Chennai's Arumbakkam was recorded at 260 early this morning. It was recorded at 227 at Royapuram, it was 316 and at Manali and 301 in the Velachery area all in poor and very poor categories.

Remnants of firecrackers, eatables and other such garbage lay scattered on the roads of Chennai's Kolathur, Villivakkam, Koyambedu and Perambur areas.

As per the Supreme Court's orders, only eco-friendly green firecrackers were permitted across the country with time slots. The guidelines issued stated that a fine would be imposed on anyone bursting crackers at unstipulated times.

Similarly, several other cities across the country are waking up to polluted, haze-filled and smoggy air quality owing to the post-Diwali revelry on Sunday.

Firecracker waste lay accumulated on the streets and roads of India's high-tech industry centre, Bengaluru post-Diwali celebrations.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had earlier issued an advisory, allowing people to burst crackers during Diwali but within allotted timings.

According to the advisory, people are allowed to burst crackers between 6 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 8 pm. In the last five years, the Tamil Nadu government has specified the timings for bursting firecrackers.

"As per the Supreme Court's directions, people are requested to follow the dos and don'ts to celebrate a safe and pollution-free Diwali," the advisory read.

Meanwhile, Delhi-NCR's air quality significantly deteriorated post-Diwali, falling into the 'Poor' category. Air pollution levels can be high during the winter months for a number of reasons, including dust and vehicular pollution, dry-cold weather, stubble burning, burning crop residues after the harvest season and commuting.

Cold air is denser and moves slower than warm air, so it traps pollution and doesn't whisk it away. This means that air pollution in winter remains in place for much longer than during the summer.