After the brief respite from pollution, thanks to the light showers over Monday and Tuesday, the air quality was back in the ‘very poor’ category of the air quality index (AQI) scale on Thursday in both Noida and Greater Noida, the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s daily bulletin showed.
According to the CPCB daily bulletin, the AQI in Noida deteriorated to 358 (very poor) on Thursday from the previous day’s 272 (poor), while it worsened to 352 (very poor) in Greater Noida on Thursday, from the 286 (poor) recorded on Wednesday.
As per the live AQI of CPCB, the air pollution was highest in Noida’s Sector 62 on Thursday (at 375) followed by Sector 116 (at 360), Sector 1 (at 350) and Sector 125 (at 348).
In Greater Noida, Knowledge Park 5, which covers the Greater Noida West, recorded the highest AQI (at 378) while Knowledge Park 3, which covers academic institutions, recorded an AQI of 329.
According to the AQI scale, readings between 0 and 50 are considered “good”, 51 and 100 are “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 are “moderate”, 201 and 300 are “poor”, 301 and 400 are “very poor”, and 401 and 500 are “severe”.
Environment experts said the respite from the moderate rainfall was brief as wind speed, among other factors, is unfavourable.Also, various restrictions on polluting activities have been lifted after the air quality improved in Delhi — taken as representative of National Capital Region — on Tuesday.
“The moderate showers witnessed in parts of Delhi-NCR over the past couple of days should not be considered “rainfall”. So far, only minor changes have occurred in the temperature and wind speed is also slow. Besides, traffic congestion has increased in the city and surrounding areas as the wedding season has arrived, which is impacting the AQI,” said Vikrant Tongad, a Greater Noida-based environment activist.
After scattered rainfall in the Delhi-NCR on November 27 and November 28, the AQI in Noida and Greater Noida, which had been reeling under ”very poor” category for a long time, had improved significantly.
On November 27, AQI of Noida was recorded as 334 while Greater Noida’s was 361. Post rainfall later in the day, the AQI improved to 261 in Noida and 274 in Greater Noida on November 28. On November 29, the AQI was 272 in Noida and 286 in Greater Noida, both in the ‘poor’ category, according to the CPCB’s daily bulletin.
The minimum and maximum temperatures in Gautam Budh Nagar have been hovering between 14 degrees Celsius and 26 degrees Celsius (°C).
On Thursday, the minimum temperature in Noida was 13.7°C while the maximum temperature was 25°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD has predicted the temperature to remain around the same with a possibility of fog or mist till December 6.
Skymet, a private weather channel headquartered in Noida, has forecast a spell of light rain and thundershower with gusty winds (30-40 km/hour) at some places of Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, central Delhi, east Delhi, Baghpat and Bulandshahr within the next 24 hours.
Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board regional officer, Noida, Utsav Sharma said, “We are monitoring the air pollution situation in the city. Routine measures such as water sprinkling are ongoing.”
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had revoked the stage 3 guidelines under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the Delhi-National Capital Region on Tuesday (November 28), citing improvement in the air quality of Delhi and AQI forecast of subsequent days. The orders have allowed the construction/demolition project sites and industrial units to resume work.