Sun Jan 12 02:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Urges Smoke-Free Bhogi Festival Celebration
**Chennai, [Date of Publication]:** The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has issued an appeal to the public to celebrate Bhogi, a pre-Pongal festival, in a smoke-free manner. The appeal comes ahead of the Pongal festival, which begins on January 13th.
While traditionally Bhogi involved burning old, natural items symbolizing discarding the old and welcoming the new, the TNPCB highlights the increasing environmental damage caused by burning modern materials. The burning of plastics, synthetic fabrics, rubber products, tires, and chemically treated items contributes significantly to air pollution, causing respiratory problems, eye irritation, and impacting visibility, potentially delaying flights. The dense smoke also creates hazardous conditions for motorists in cities like Chennai, leading to traffic disruptions and accidents.
The TNPCB acknowledges that public awareness campaigns conducted over the past 20 years have led to a reduction in the burning of harmful materials, but stresses the continued need for responsible celebrations. To monitor air quality, the board will deploy air quality monitoring stations at 15 locations across Chennai for 24 hours before and during Bhogi. The data will be made available on the TNPCB website. Further public awareness campaigns will be launched across Tamil Nadu to promote a cleaner, greener Bhogi.
The TNPCB urges citizens to refrain from burning plastics, tires, and other hazardous materials, opting instead for environmentally friendly celebrations that preserve the traditional spirit of the festival while protecting public health and the environment.
First Piper 