Thoothukudi air quality saw no change post Sterlite unit closure: Study

'During the operation of the plant, the sulphur dioxide (SO2) level of the air had gone up by just 1 micron per cubic meter at various sites,' says a study

Around three weeks after Sterlite Copper hinted about the hands of 'external forces' behind the Thoothukudi anti- Sterlite protests, a study on the air quality of the coastal city has indicated that there was no significant change in the air quality and sulphur dioxide (SO2) contribution to pollution in the city before and after the closure of the plant in 2018.  

It was in May 2018 that 13 people were killed and around 102 left injured in a police firing at Thoothukudi. "It discovered that during the operation of the plant, the sulphur dioxide (SO2) level of the air had gone