E-Paper
Better air, hotter day in city
Gurugram Visibility was low early Friday morning, with a layer of fog enveloping the city. However, the air quality improved significantly on Friday, entering the
Gurugram Visibility was low early Friday morning, with a layer of fog enveloping the city. However, the air quality improved significantly on Friday, entering the ‘very poor’ category of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality index, from the ‘severe’ level a day before.
Gurugram recorded an AQI score of 318, over 100 points better than Thursday’s AQI of 429.
Both the minimum temperature and maximum temperature also increased on Friday, from 5 degrees Celsius to 6 degrees Celsius, and from 18 degrees Celsius to 21 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Experts and officials attributed the improvement in air quality to favourable weather conditions, including fast winds, higher temperature and clear skies.
“The visibility at Palam Observatory area was at 400 metres both at 5.30am and 8.30am, while the wind speed in the morning was calm at both the time intervals,” an IMD official said.
“Improved wind speed and bright sun were two important factors behind the improved air quality. Little drizzle also took place at night. All the factors, combined, ensured that we saw early morning and late-night pollution, while the afternoon remained clear,” said city-based air quality expert Sachin Panwar.
The average daily concentration of finer particulate matter, having a diameter less than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5), the city’s most prominent pollutant, on Friday was 494.77ug/m3, as per the HSPCB’s official air quality monitor at Vikas Sadan. As per a CPCB forecast, the air quality is likely to improve marginally and remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Saturday. The air quality is expected to deteriorate marginally, but remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday as well.
The maximum temperature is expected to fall marginally, while the minimum temperature is predicted to climb further, to touch 8 degrees Celsius on Saturday. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s weekly forecast, dense to very dense fog in the morning hours can be expected at isolated places with partly cloudy skies over the next two days.
