Gurugram air in dire straits for third straight day

Gurugram Air quality in the city remained well below acceptable standards, in the ‘very poor’ category of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality

Gurugram Air quality in the city remained well below acceptable standards, in the ‘very poor’ category of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality index for the third consecutive day on Saturday. Gurugram, as per the CPCB bulletin at 4pm, recorded an AQI score of 362, a marginal improvement from a reading of 386 (also ‘very poor’) the previous day.

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The concentration of finer particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5), the city’s most prominent pollutant, was 230ug/m3 on Saturday, as per the CPCB’s air quality monitor at Vikas Sadan. This was four times the safe limit of 60ug/m3, as per the national ambient air quality standards.

Private air quality monitors across the city recorded higher pollution levels on Saturday. A private monitor at South City-1 recorded an AQI of 427 (‘severe’), another on Golf Course Road had a reading of 377 (‘very poor’), while a private monitor in Sector 30 had an AQI reading of 401 (‘severe’).

Pollution levels are likely to remain high and air quality will stay in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday too, experts said.

Higher pollution levels over the last four days have been attributed to low wind speeds and falling minimum temperatures. The wind speed on Saturday averaged 2 kmph, failing to disperse pollutants, experts said. As per the CPCB’s prediction, wind speed on Sunday is likely to be around 4 kmph, and the AQI is expected to be in the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category.

Light wind speed is expected to prevail until Wednesday, after which a western disturbance is predicted to approach. “Pollutants will likely clear out after Wednesday, when the wind speed rises and light rainfall is expected due to the western disturbance,” said Sachin Panwar, an air quality expert in the city.

The minimum temperature on Saturday increased to 9.3 degrees Celsius, from 7.8 degrees Celsius the previous day, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The maximum temperature also increased marginally, to 24.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday, from 24 degrees Celsius on Friday, as per IMD data.

Both minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to decline next week. The maximum temperature could touch 19 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature would hover around 8 degrees Celsius on Thursday, as per the IMD’s prediction.