Chennai woke up to a hazy morning on Tuesday with reduced visibility, owing to Bhogi celebrations. Roads in the city were shrouded in a thin layer of smog that is slowly clearing with the rising sun.
Residents took to Twitter to shares images of Chennai roads hazed over with thin, white smoke.
Over night la chennai delhi ah aaguradhula inga dha nadakum..that bogi kodumaigal.. apram kaatru maasu kannula dhoosu nu polambuvainga.... pic.twitter.com/r9igFPhljO
— Abirami (@abiipaiyaa) January 14, 2020
Sun look like a small bulb - extreme air pollition in north Chennai
— Neppolian (@i_neppo) January 14, 2020
சென்னை முழுவதுமே காற்று மாசு அதிகரித்து காணப்படுகிறது,காற்றில் நச்சுத்தன்மையை ஏற்படுத்தும் மின் துகள்களின் அளவு தொடர்ந்து அதிகரித்து வருகிறது.
Vedio : valluvar kottam#AirPollution #bhogi #BhogiPongal #Bogi pic.twitter.com/uoDHDjeCBI
#bogi #Chennai #AirPollution #hazardous #AirQuality pic.twitter.com/nSgBPpEdna
— Suresh Kumar (@sureshsmart88) January 14, 2020
Why #Chennai Why? #Bhogi #AirPollution these are PM2.5 levels today. Seriously #LetChennaiBreathe @tmkrishna @NityJayaraman @Poojixx @sam_vishvaja @citizenmatters @urbansciencesIN @MRTB_India @icareforlungs @CareForAirIndia @BhavreenMK @AQI_India @a_khosla @j_gunjan @Sanjay_Pinto pic.twitter.com/v5CorcbVr8
— Shweta Narayan (@CemShweta) January 14, 2020
Its not mist. Air quality decreased enormously result of boghi celebration over Chennai.
— Pradeep Krishnan (@pradeeplyricist) January 14, 2020
Very sad to see this
Picture Location : Ekkatuthangal @nimeshika_j@meghakaveri @AQI_India pic.twitter.com/IaDXUM5qgd
The air quality index in most parts of the city reached hazardous levels on Tuesday, with Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and Particulate Matter (PM) 10 levels spiking. Based on information from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s realtime monitoring page, PM 2.5 at Perungudi was at 377 mg/m3 at 5.00 am on Tuesday while PM 10 was 418 mg/m3 as of 8.00 am.
Popular weather blogger, Pradeep John tweeted about the poor air quality levels in the city. "At one point the PM 2.5 of Manali touched 795 while US Consulate touched 722," he wrote.
Chennai tops the World Ranking of having the most polluted air as of Today. At one point the PM 2.5 of Manali touched 795 while US Consulate touched 722.
— TamilNadu Weatherman (@praddy06) January 14, 2020
Please comment sensibly. I respect the tradition of our people burning old things, irrespective whether it is right or wrong. pic.twitter.com/w6hZKQvS6K
The permissible concentration of PM 2.5 particles is 40 µg/m3 (annual average) and 60 µg/m3 (24-hour average) in industrial, residential, rural or other areas, as per Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), while the permissible limit for PM 10 particles is 60µg/m³ (annual average). PM 2.5 particles measure 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter and are dangerous as they can settle in lungs and the respiratory tract, while PM 10 refers to particulate matter that are 10 micrometers or less in diameter.
Based on Chennai Pollution Control Board statistics, PM 2.5 levels in Manali reached an alarming 500 at 9.00 am on Tuesday morning. In Velachery residential area too, PM 2.5 was recorded at 450, its maximum level as of 10.00 am.
Ahead of Tamil Nadu’s annual harvest festival Pongal, the Chennai International Airport has requested residents who live near the airport to avoid burning objects which create thick smoke in the air. According to reports, two flights heading to Mysore and Mumbai departed with a slight delay from Chennai airport. No major diversions or delays have been reported so far.
The latest weather bulletin from Regional Meteorological Centre notes partly cloudy skies and smog in some areas if the city. Maximin and minimum temperatures are expected to be around 24 and 30 degree celsius in the city for the next two days. Wednesday morning is expected to be misty in parts of the city. Dry weather is likely to prevail over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for the next two day.