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A mostly dry afternoon and evening with light rain here and there kept the city noisy and smoke-filled on Deepavali day on Monday. However, a timely spell of rain the next morning saved the city from smog and pollution. According to data from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, among seven points monitored, Besant Nagar, with an air quality index (AQI) of 190, was the cleanest and Valasarawakkam came in last with an AQI of 332 in the Greater Chennai Corporation. Particulate matter The AQI is calculated on the basis of the particulate matter in the ambient air during a 24-hour period. An AQI of 51-100 is considered satisfactory, 101-200 moderately polluted, 201-300 poor, and 301-400 very poor. T. Nagar, a commercial area, had an AQI of 273. The residential area of Nungambakkam recorded an AQI of 326. The very commercial locality of Sowcarpet recorded an AQI of 260 and Tiruvottiyur registered 207. Thanks to the heavy rain on Tuesday morning, the air quality improved considerably, said K. Karthikeyan, an environment expert. “In the U.S., common spaces are used for bursting crackers. Perhaps, it is time for major cities in India, too, to change to such a model with a zoning atlas and about 150 spots chosen. Cracker-bursting would become safer. A fireworks show would also be good,” he said. Noise level In the noise survey, the lowest noise level value of 62.8 dB(A) was observed at Besant Nagar and the highest noise level value of 88.4 dB(A) was observed at Tiruvottiyur. T. K. Pandian, a resident of Anna Nagar, said the bursting of noise-emitting crackers went on in his area till 2 a.m. “The sound seemed very high and was painful to the ears, and sometimes very startling. I am not sure whether someone checked the noise levels of these crackers before they reached the market. The police did not seem to have done their job in issuing warnings ahead of the festival and catching those who were bursting crackers beyond the time set by the Supreme Court,” he said.
