Gurugram’s air quality improves, but likely to be in ‘very poor’ again next week

According to CPCB forecast, air quality in Gurugram will remain ‘moderate’ till Sunday, after which it is expected to be in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories again.

The air quality of Gurugram on Saturday was the cleanest among the major cities in the national capital region (NCR). As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the city recorded an air quality index (AQI) score of 108 on Saturday, which comes in the ‘moderate’ category. The ‘moderate’ air pollution level was a result of a wind speed of 10 kmph that helped disperse pollutants, the CPCB said.

People warm themselves around a fire on cold Saturday morning in Gurugram. (Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Saturday was the second consecutive day that air quality was in the ‘moderate’ category. Friday had recorded much higher AQI value of 165, which also falls in the ‘moderate’ category.

While all major cities in the NCR had ‘moderate’ air quality on Saturday, Gurugram’s AQI was the lowest among them. Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida on Saturday recorded an AQI of 163, 171, 179 and 123, respectively. While Faridabad did not feature on the CPCB’s AQI bulletin on Saturday due to some technical reasons, adjoining Manesar had an AQI of 102, the CPCB data showed.

According to CPCB forecast, air quality in Gurugram will remain ‘moderate’ till Sunday, after which it is expected to be in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories again. The city had been recording ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ air since December 2 until Friday when rain and high wind speed improved the air quality to ‘moderate’.

Particulate matter (PM) 2.5 levels on Saturday were recorded at a maximum of 108µg/m³, as per the CPCB’s air quality monitor at Vikas Sadan in Sector 10. The PM2.5 levels fell on Saturday from Friday’s reading of 152µg/m³.

As per the CPCB, ‘moderate’ pollution levels on Saturday were a result of a wind speed of 10 kmph, which helped disperse pollutants. The wind speed, however, is expected to reduce to around 6 kmph on Sunday and further to 4 kmph on Monday. As a result, the AQI value could be in the upper end of the ‘moderate’ category or the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category, experts predict.

“With the wind speed subsiding, pollution levels are expected to touch poor and very poor levels again. Mornings are expected to have very poor AQI due to falling minimum temperatures and fog,” said Sachin Panwar, an air quality expert.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city’s minimum temperature on Saturday was recorded at 9.7 degrees Celsius, which is expected to fall to 8 degrees Celsius on Sunday, and further by two degrees the next week. Mornings will have dense fog, the MeT department said.

The maximum temperature on Saturday rose to 19.5 degrees Celsius from 18.5 degrees Celsius the previous day. It is expected to be around 18 degrees Celsius in the coming three to four days, the IMD predicted.