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Air quality continues to be ‘poor’ for fourth straight day
Gurugram Air quality in Gurugram improved slightly on Saturday with city recording a reading of 248 (‘poor’) on the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 4pm
Gurugram Air quality in Gurugram improved slightly on Saturday with city recording a reading of 248 (‘poor’) on the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 4pm bulletin.
This was the first time since November 19 that the city’s AQI improved. However, Saturday marked the fourth consecutive day when the AQI was in the ‘poor’ category, as per CPCB data. On Friday, the AQI was 288.
Air quality deteriorated on Saturday morning, with a reading of 302 (‘very poor’) around 4am, as per the CPCB’s monitor at Vikas Sadan. It improved to 224 (‘poor) around 1pm and further to 176 (‘moderate’) around 3.30pm. The air quality is expected to improve to the lower-end of ‘poor’ category on Sunday.
The concentration of finer particulate matter (PM2.5) was 150ug/m3 on Saturday, against the safe limit of 60ug/m3. “What we had been seeing over the last three to four days was typical winter phenomenon. Overcast sky, low wind speed and falling temperatures resulted in the accumulation of pollutants,” said Sachin Panwar, a city-based air quality expert.
Experts and officials attributed the improvement in air quality on Saturday to faster winds and clearer skies. “Wind speed improved to 12-13 kmph on Saturday from around 7 kmph on Friday, which helped clear some pollutants from the atmosphere,” a scientist at the CPCB’s air quality lab said.
A partly cloudy sky was observed in the morning, which gave way to a sunnier afternoon, as per the officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Strong surface winds are predicted on Sunday and Monday. “Surface winds, with a speed of 15-20 kmph, are expected on Sunday. On Monday, the speed is likely to rise to 25kmph,” as per CPCB’s prediction.
As a result, the AQI is expected to fall to the lower end of the ‘poor’ category or the upper-end of the ‘moderate’ category on both days.
The IMD has predicted light rain in isolated pockets of the NCR on Monday evening. The rain, accompanied by strong surface winds, could lead to an improvement in air quality, experts said.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature is expected to rise to 15 degrees Celsius on Sunday and further to 16.5 degrees Celsius on Monday, from 14 degrees Celsius on Saturday, as per the IMD.
The maximum temperature on Saturday was recorded at 26.7 Celsius, drop of a degree from Friday’s maximum temperature. The day temperature is likely to be around 27 degrees Celsius on Sunday and Monday, due to strong winds and a partly cloudy sky, as per the IMD’s prediction.
