CHENNAI: The State Environment department conducted an awareness drawing competition on air pollution for school students in the city on Friday, as the state capital is found to be one of the four most polluted cities in the country. G Thangaraj, Chennai district coordinator of National Green Corps (NGC) said that as many as 256 students from 42 schools in the south Chennai region took part in the competition.

“In the list released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Thoothukudi, Chennai, Madurai and Trichy from Tamil Nadu find a place in the 104 most polluted cities of the country. Awareness rallies, human chain, workshops involving school, college students were conducted to minimise air pollution in this context,” he said.

He added that in continuation of the awareness events, the drawing competition was conducted jointly by the environment department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Greater Chennai corporation and Central Pollution Control Board.