Bhogi burning: Air quality deteriorates in Chennai; flight services affected
Early morning burning of items combined with fog caused throat and eye irritation in some places.
A stark reminder of the impact on air quality as the post-celebration smog blankets the city (Photo: Akshay Kumar)
CHENNAI: Despite the State government requesting the public to celebrate smoke-free Bhogi, all the monitoring stations in Chennai recorded an increase in Air Quality Index (AQI), on Sunday morning, suggesting pollution due to the burning of old household items, which is a part of Bhogi celebration in the State.
Early morning burning of items combined with fog caused throat and eye irritation in some places.
According to air quality index (AQI) data released in real-time by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index was 126 in Alandur at 8 am. The southern part of the city recorded an AQI of 111 at the same time on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Arumbakkam and Ennore recorded an AQI of 216 and 232 respectively on the day. While data for Ennore was not available, Arumbakkam recorded an AQI of 126 on the previous day.
Kodungaiyur, Manali, and Perungudi recorded AQI of 156, 127, and 289. On Saturday, those areas recorded an AQI of 115, 162, and 144. Royapuram and Velachery recorded 207 and 103 AQI. The previous day's AQI in the localities were 121 and 76
It may be noted that the AQI a day after the Deepavali festival, on November 6, crossed 300 in Velachery residential area while other parts of the city recorded more than 250 AQI.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 51 to 100 is considered satisfactory with minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.
AQI between 100 to 200 is considered moderate with breathing discomfort to people with lung, asthma, and heart diseases.
AQI between 201 to 300 is considered poor with breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.
AQI of 301 to 400 and 401 to 500 are considered very poor and severe respectively.
Flight operation affected:
Meanwhile, operations of 50 flights were delayed at Chennai Airport due to Bhogi smoke and early morning fog. Moreover, 4 flights were diverted to Hyderabad, and a SpiceJet flight scheduled to take off to Andaman from the city was cancelled.
