Delhi effect on city air: Activists, TNPCB denies

According to the data of Air Quality Index (AQI) on Monday, the concentration of particulate matter 2.5 at Manali was 190, while it was 200 at Alandur. The permissible limits for PM2.5 in residential areas is 60 and 100 in industrial zones. 

Many activists and citizens believe that the increase in pollution was related to the situation in Delhi, while officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) claim otherwise. 

“It happens every year, but the pollution is more than usual this year. The meteorological condition here is such that large mass of pollutants is not allowed to disperse, and are moving in a stream towards the east coast of India. When interacting with fishermen, I came to know that during this season, the wind should be blowing from the East. But the wind is still blowing from the West. Another reason for the pollution in the city is due to the industries,” said Nityanand Jayaraman, an environmentalist.

At Ennore and Manali, there are a large concentration of industries causing a rise in pollution levels, he added. “The government is planning to bring new coal-fired power plant, which is more than 3,000 megawatts, in the area. They should manage with the existing power plants instead of adding new ones,” he said.

Weather blogger Pradeep John, popularly known as Tamil Nadu weatherman, also opined that polluted air has travelled from Delhi to south. “The pollution levels have moved to unhealthy levels in Chennai. This will be the pattern for the next four days in Chennai. What we are seeing now in Chennai is clearly smog. Wind need not follow the air route. The hills in the Eastern Ghats don’t have great heights. All global models clearly show that the low-level winds are moving from Delhi or North India,” he said. 

However, speaking to DT Next, a Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) official pointed out that the wind direction here is from Northeast to Southwest. “Our wind comes from the sea and not from the Himalayan glacier. The wind cannot travel such a long distance. So, there is no impact on Tamil Nadu. This is local pollution.”