Gurugram chokes as air quality slips to ‘poor’ category amid low winds, dense haze

IMD officials said that, even though wind speed picked up slightly during the afternoon, it again dropped to calm levels

Gurugram’s air quality deteriorated further on Sunday as low wind speeds and dipping temperatures continued to trap pollutants close to the surface. A dense haze also lingered over the city through the day, reducing visibility and prompting health concerns.

IMD forecast says conditions for the improvement in air quality will remain unfavourable till Monday. (Parveen Kumar/HT photo)

On Sunday, at 4pm, the city’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 295 — firmly in the ‘poor’ category. It was 287 at the same time on Saturday, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed. The visibility was recorded at 900m at 7.30am, officials at India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Of its four stations, three — NISE Gwal Pahari (332), Vikas Sadan (325), and Sector 51 (309) — recorded AQI in the ‘very poor’ category, while Teri Gram (215) was in the ‘poor’ category, according to 8 pm data on the Sameer app.

The CPCB classifies air as ‘good’ when AQI is 50 or lower; ‘satisfactory’ between 51 and 100; ‘moderate’ between 101 and 200; ‘poor’ between 201 and 300; ‘very poor’ between 301 and 400; and ‘severe’ when it exceeds 400.

Officials at the IMD said that, even though wind speed picked up slightly during the afternoon to above 10km per hour, it again dropped to calm levels at 5pm — leaving pollutants trapped at ground level during the evening and night hours.

Concentrations of particulate matter (PM) — the dominant pollutant — hovered at 189 and 377 µg/m³ between 2am and 6am at all four monitoring stations, CPCB data further showed.

“Gurugram’s pollution exhibits a clear diurnal cycle, with pollutant concentrations building up as evening approaches and remaining elevated throughout the night under a shallow stable boundary layer, while concentrations only begin to decline in the afternoon as solar radiation increases the mixing height,” said Dr Manoj Kumar, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Meanwhile, residents blamed unregulated construction work for the air quality in Gurugram. “Despite Graded Response Action Plan (Grap)-III in place, construction projects go swiftly near Lotus Valley School in Sector 50,” said Rajeev, who goes by a single name, a resident of Nirvana Country. He further stated that the issue was reported to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Friday and described it as a recurring activity.

“We urge authorities responsible to take action against private contractors as heaps of dust is being blown into atmosphere from the sites. The thick dust cloud envelopes our block and houses.”

Manish Singh, another resident of the area, urged the district administration to make a more concerted effort to stop construction activities on the Golf Course Extension road, near the DPS International, in Sector 50. “Many a times, construction work goes on during late night and early night hours with private developers enjoying complete impunity from local authorities,” Singh said.

Doctors warn that pollution in residential areas and near schools can adversely affect the health of children. “A growing number of children with no history of respiratory problems are now visiting clinics with symptoms such as continuous cough, nasal congestion, throat irritation, wheezing and breathing discomfort,” said Dr. Arun Chowdary Kotaru, unit head of Respiratory Disease and Sleep Medicine at Artemis Hospitals. “The pollution has made their airways more sensitive which means that even healthy kids are more likely to get sick. A lot of parents also notice that their kids get tired quickly, have trouble playing outside and say their chest feels tight. This trend shows that even a short time spent in polluted air can cause airway inflammation in kids who have never had asthma or allergies before.”

An official at Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), asking not to be named, said teams are conducting routine inspections and penalties are being imposed on those found carrying out unauthorised construction activities. The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) had fined 73 contractors or individuals for non-stop construction despite Grap orders since November 14, imposing ₹24.80 lakh in penalties.

IMD forecast says conditions for the improvement in air quality will remain unfavourable till Monday, with mixing-height and ventilation-index values — indicators of how high pollutants can rise and how quickly they can disperse — expected to remain low over the next few days and low south-westerly winds further contributing to low wind speeds. On Sunday, Gurugram recorded a maximum temperature of 26°C and a minimum of 11°C.