Think twice before you burst that firecracker...

CHENNAI: Even as the correlation between air pollution and Covid is being widely debated, the air quality in the city is likely to worsen, shows recent data. The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday, had univocally imposed a total ban on sale and use of firecrackers in all “cities and towns where the average ambient air quality in November last year was poor or worse”. Only green crackers will be sold in cities and towns where air quality is moderate.

The order also directs the Central and State pollution control boards to monitor compliance and compile air pollution data from November 9 to November 30, upload on websites and file a consolidated report. TNIE takes a look at Chennai’s air pollution data for November 2019.

A quick analysis of the data shows that for several days, the city recorded “poor” to “very poor” air quality. For instance, Velachery recorded “poor” air quality for six days, where the pollution levels of PM 2.5 peaked to 277 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter). On November 8, it clocked 324 µg/m3, slipping into the “very poor” category.

Shweta Narayan, coordinator at Healthy Energy Initiation India, told TNIE: “We will never get a true sense of Chennai’s air pollution with just three air quality monitors. Also, how can the average be calculated if the data is not available for more than half a month?”

The Covid connection
Director of Public Health, TS  Selvavinayagam, said that all respiratory tract infections, including Covid, will increase when there is bad air quality. “We have to keep the air pollution under control even during festival days. We are increasing the monitoring for Covid control.

The high risk population with underlying conditions should remain indoors during Deepavali.” Meanwhile, a senior official at the State Pollution Control Board said that Chennai was not among the 122 non-attainment cities included in the National Clean Air Programme, which means the air in the city is not so worrisome.

“Yes, it’s true that three monitors are not enough to assess a city’s air pollution. This is exactly why the State has installed 25 continuous monitors at `45 crore recently. In Chennai, additional monitors were installed at Royapuram, Arumbakkam and Kodungaiyur. They are already linked to the CPCB monitors.”