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Smog engulfs Trichy, leaves residents perplexed

TRICHY: Dense smog engulfed the city’s key landmarks including Rockfort hillock, Cauvery bridge and the Srirangam temple rajagopuram on Tuesday leaving many residents puzzled and excited. Meteorologists attributed the strange weather condition to the absence of adequate wind flow in Trichy and adjoining areas, thus causing the evaporated moisture to mix with dust and stay afloat in the atmosphere.




The thick smog encompassed most parts of the city till 10 am. Visibility for vehicles on city roads as well as Chennai, Dindigul and Thanjavur national highways was very low prompting motorists to switch on headlamps. Though Trichy usually sees a foggy ambience in late December and January, November is regarded a rainy month and rarely experiences it. Nevertheless, many were excited at the weather resembling that in a hill station with key landmarks going partially invisible. Locals took to their social media handles to share pictures of the dense smog. Many who were aware of Delhi’s air pollution were quick to attribute the phenomenon to the bad air quality in the national capital region, even speculating that the polluted air may have headed south. However, meteorologists rubbished such claims. “There is no flow of northeast wind towards Trichy. The moisture which evaporated from the soil along with the dust in the air has caused the smog due to the absence of wind flow,” said S Balachandran, deputy director-general, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

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“While the cyclonic storm Maha is active over Arabian Sea, a depression has formed over the northern part of the Andaman islands in Bay of Bengal. Such weather disturbances have ceased the inflow of air to the land resulting in the smoggy condition. It will gradually diminish,” N Selvakumar, independent weather blogger from Mannargudi said. Absence of rain in Trichy and most parts of Tamil Nadu in recent days was also blamed for the condition. Similar foggy weather prevailed in several parts of Pudukottai district as well.

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