Chennai's Air Quality Turns 'Poor' After Diwali, Over 300 Cases Filed

A day after the Deepavali celebrations, the air quality in Chennai was recorded in the 'poor' category, according to official figures.

The city police registered 354 cases regarding various violations, including the time limit allowed for bursting crackers.

According to the figures uploaded on the website of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) as of noon, most of the observation points in the city and its surroundings generally had 'poor' air quality.

PM 2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter) was the main pollutant.

The average range of Air Quality Index (AQI) observed during a 24-hour period starting October in Chennai city ranged between 345 to 786, a TNPCB release said.

"This is due to a large number of people indulging in very active bursting of firecrackers --mainly night crackers and sky shots and high relative humidity and low wind speed. The climatic condition is not conducive for the effective dispersion of the smoke emanated from the bursting of crackers," it said.

Meanwhile, the city police said it has registered 271 cases regarding violation of time limits and 69 for bursting crackers with high decibels.

A City Police release said 14 cases were filed for selling fireworks in violation of government guidelines.

The cases were booked between October 23 and 25. The state government had earlier mandated the bursting of crackers between 6-7 AM and 7-8 PM on Deepavali day, in lines with a Supreme Court direction.

The festival was celebrated on Monday.

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