Chennai: The city continues to reel under severe dust pollution with the civic body failing to relay damaged roads even after two months of Chennai floods. It has become a nightmare for motorists driving on the roads in the city limits. According to Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board data, the pollution caused by respirable particulate matter of 10 micron size (PM10) has gone up with high level of dusts flying from damaged roads.
TNPCB, which monitors city's ambient air quality in five locations, has recorded an increase in PM10 concentration in air in T. Nagar, Anna Nagar and Kilpauk. As per the data, Kilpauk locality had recorded a PM10 concentration of 116 microgram per cubic metre (µg/m3) on February 1 while Anna Nagar has recorded 117 µg/m3 on January 27. The permissible limit of PM10 is 100 µg/m3. In T Nagar, the PM10 concentration ranged from 166 µg/m3 on January 6 to 99 µg/m3 on January 29. The level of other pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide remain well within permissible limits.
The PM10 concentration, which was well under the permissible limits before the monsoon, has gone up after the floods due to road dust, said a senior TNPCB official. Vehicular emission and road dusts are major source of pollution in the city, he said adding that the continuous movement of heavy traffic on the rain battered roads are leading to high level of finer dust pollution. If all the damaged roads are relaid, the pollution level will come down. Already, the pollution has come down when compared to December last year's data,†the official said.
R. Kannan, a call taxi driver, said that not only the main roads, most of the interior roads were damaged in the floods. The corporation should take steps to relay all the roads at war footing to reduce pollution,†he said, adding that vehicles maintenance costs goes up due to driving in rain battered roads. A senior Chennai corporation official admitted that non-relaying of damaged roads has led to increase in dust pollution. We have awarded contract for all 4,000 damaged roads including bus route roads and interior roads in the city limits. Of the 4,000 roads, 60 per cent of them were fully damaged and others have suffered various levels of damages. We are hopeful of completing road relaying work by March first week,†said the official.
