Gurugram’s air quality nears ‘severe’ levels

The India Meteorological Department predicted that the city may receive a few spells of rain on Thursday which will improve the air quality later this week

For the sixth consecutive day, the city’s air quality continued to be in the “very poor” category on Monday, while inching closer to the “severe” pollution levels. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that the city may receive a few spells of rain on Thursday which will improve the air quality later this week.

A thick layer of smog engulfed the city on Monday morning. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s 4pm bulletin, the air quality index (AQI) of Gurugram on Monday was recorded at 395, a rise from Sunday’s reading of 372.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

Officials from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said that low wind speed and dip in temperature were causing the air quality to deteriorate. “Low temperature and wind speed are causing pollutants to remain trapped in the lower layers of the atmosphere. This further disrupts the dispersion of particulate matter. Due to unfavourable weather conditions, the air quality has deteriorated further. We are monitoring the situation closely and checking on localised pollution violations,” said Kuldeep Singh, regional officer (north), HSPCB.

The HSPCB on Monday also imposed a penalty of ₹25 lakh each on two real estate developers for carrying out construction activities in sectors 61 and 63A, respectively. The Supreme Court and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) have banned construction activities across Delhi-NCR until further orders.

“During surprise inspections, our teams found construction activities ongoing at two different sites on Monday afternoon, and accordingly levied penalties on the developers concerned. We are also carrying out night patrolling to ensure such violations can be detected and localised air pollution can be kept in check,” said Singh.

HSPCB on Sunday had imposed a penalty of ₹25 lakh on a developer for carrying out construction activities in Sector 103.

Meanwhile, IMD, in its local weather report, said that Gurugram may see a few spells of rain and thundershowers on Thursday, which can help the ai quality improve slightly. A maximum temperature of 26°C and a minimum of 10°C were recorded for the city on Monday, the IMD said. On Sunday, the city had witnessed maximum and minimum temperatures at 24.7°C and 10.5°C.