Bogi-fire of plastic materials leads to pollution

Chennai, January 13: Bhogi is the first day of Pongal and is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, "the God of Clouds and Rains". Lord Indra is worshiped for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land. This day is meant for domestic activities and of being together with the family members.

Every Bhogi, the RSPM levels go up due to the rituals followed, but in the recent years the level of increase has been coming down.

Smog, a portmanteau of smoke and fog, is created every Bhogi when the traditional ritualistic burning of old stuff to symbolise throwing out the old and ushering in new beginnings.

In its more extreme form, the smoke along with the fog reduces visibility substantially, and leads to diversion of flights.

In Chennai, the usual practice is to burn plastic, tyres and tubes, which leads to high levels of pollution in the ambient air.

However, through continuous intervention, things have changed for the better in urban areas, where plastic and rubber are seldom burnt. Incremental pollution levels have thus dropped in most of the areas.

A former senior official of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) recalled how they had been creating awareness since the 2000s. "During 2008 - 2009, we began having night squads involving Corporation employees and the police. We used to carry buckets of water and sand to put out fires. People then realised that if they burn tyres and plastics through the night, we would be on the prowl.

Now, they just burn dry green waste and paper if need be, to carry on tradition", he said, adding that even the Corporation, EB and the telephone staff have stopped burning tyres, which they use to melt tar for repairs.

The number of stations recording pollution levels across the city too has gone up. In 2009, there were 10 stations, now there are 15. Sources in TNPCB said that their staff were out on the streets on Thursday night, surveying pollution levels to get a fix on the pre-burning data.

Normally, levels of respirable suspended particulate matter, sulphur-di-oxide and nitrogen-di-oxide are recorded pre- and post-Bhogi.