Good morning, Chennai!
☁️ Today’s weather: Partly cloudy skies for the day.
🧐 Did you know? Mylapore once had a port. There are references to it in several written works and documents from the 1st to 8th centuries.
😷 Air pollution spike
Chennai has seen increased air pollution levels over the past few days.
What’s happening? Over the past few days, the city has witnessed a spike in air pollution levels. Chennai’s air quality index (AQI) touched 130 on Wednesday morning. According to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, this falls under the “moderately polluted” category. Some expect conditions to improve after weather systems in the sea weaken.
- Of the city’s seven air quality monitoring stations, the one at Alandur bus depot recorded an AQI of 195. At Perungudi, the AQI was 164. Only at the Velachery and Royapuram stations were the AQIs below 100.
- In some stations, the dominant pollutant, PM 2.5, peaked at 318 at some stations. It’s several times higher than the prescribed limit by the WHO. Officials attribute the spike in pollution to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
Weather patterns: A weak sea breeze due to a weather system in the Bay of Bengal has hampered the dispersal of pollutants. This could change for the better with the onset of the northeast monsoon. At Ramanathupuram and Thoothukudi, pollution levels were within safe limits thanks to the rains.
🚘 Norms for malls
The CMDA has released norms to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement around malls.
What’s it about? The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has now released a list of norms for malls to follow to ensure there’s no traffic congestion.
- The CMDA has stated that all malls should have separate entry and exit points for vehicles. They’ve also been asked to find temporary parking lots in case of a surge in visitors.
- The decision was taken following a consultative meeting between CMDA member secretary Anshul Mishra and mall owners.
What’s been happening? A common sight across several malls in the city is traffic congestion near entry and exit points as cars, taxis, and autos drop off passengers.
🛫 Airport passenger traffic update
The AAI said passenger traffic at the Chennai Airport is bouncing back, especially on international routes.
What’s it about? The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has stated that passenger traffic at the Chennai Airport is regaining momentum, especially on international routes. However, unless issues with the new terminal and other areas are sorted out, it could lose out to Bengaluru.
- From April to September this year, the airport saw a 21.5% increase in passenger numbers. Of the 1.05 crore passengers this year, 76.05 lakh were domestic. However, they’re still behind Bengaluru, which handled 80 lakh more passengers.
- Bengaluru is offering more premium services and more marketing by airlines, especially for those headed to Europe. While Chennai can’t handle the Airbus A380, Emirates flies the super jumbo from Bengaluru.
Challenges for Chennai: While the new terminal is now in use, several glitches have hampered passenger flow, affecting the turnaround time of aircraft. Some estimates show Chennai has yet to reach pre-COVID passenger numbers.
- Several international passengers prefer Bengaluru since Chennai doesn’t have good connections to the Middle East and Europe.
🏗️ Sports City impact
Semmencherry will soon become a hub of activity with the proposed global sports city.
What’s it about? Semmencherry is a rather non-descript junction with six neighbourhoods in Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR). While there aren’t highrises or hotels, that could change. The proposed Global Sports City by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will make the area a vibrant hub.
- The sports city will be set up on 105 acres behind Sathyabama University. According to urban experts, this project will have a ripple effect on surrounding areas like Karanai and Perumbakkam while cautioning the government of unregulated growth.
- The area will be aided by the upcoming metro corridor and residential projects. Before, development hadn’t gone past Perungudi. Since it’ll attract sporting talent, families might relocate near the facility.
Complimentary infrastructure: The CMDA has proposed a stormwater drain network to prevent flooding. There’ll also be alternative transport routes to the sports city with traffic management and parking to meet projected demand for 30 years.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Biswan Kalyan Rath will make you laugh out loud with his live stand-up performance this Saturday.
- Halloween in Kollywood from The Madras Commune with a quiz and live performance this Sunday.
- Tripped is a drama about four friends, a device and an adventure this Saturday.
- Anime and pop culture fans unite at this year’s Ani X Con, happening this weekend.
- The Happiness Retreat is a unique interactive storytelling session by Sunshine House this Saturday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I prefer short stays: 55.6% 🏆
- I prefer long vacations: 44.4%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite amusement/theme park you’ve been to?
Joylin: “MGM Theme Park”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!