City coughs, sputters, as Bhogi fires burn; 4 stations record poor air quality

Residents in various parts of the city faced difficulties due to bonfires lit for Bhogi on Wednesday.

Rani, a resident of Kannagi Nagar, said she woke up at 4.30 am and saw many bonfires. “I didn’t want to start a new one, so I added an old piece of fabric next to the one closest to my house. The smoke was thick until 7 a.m.,” he said.

Chitradevi, a resident of Kandanchavadi, said that when she opened the door at 6.30 am, smoke from the corridor entered her house. “I was having trouble breathing. My eyes were watering,” he said.

TNPCB data showed poor air quality was recorded at four out of 15 stations in the 24 hours ending 8 am on Tuesday. Tondiarpet’s air quality index (AQI) value was 267, Royapuram 243, Valasaravakkam 207 and Thoraipakkam 273. Tiruvottiyur had the cleanest air in the city with an AQI of 140; This was probably due to people like P. Parthiban, an auto driver who said his family was not in the habit of burning waste. “Since we are already polluting the air with vehicle emissions, why should we contribute to this by burning waste?”

IIT Madras professor SM Shiva Nagendra said burning waste for Bhogi is a sentiment for many and places like Singapore have systems for controlled burning of waste at certain places on such days. “Chennai too should have community cremation stations with controlled emissions at the ward level,” he added.