Noida and Ghaziabad’s air most polluted in NCR

Noida: The air quality of Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida slipped to the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday. Weather experts said it is likely to worsen in the coming

Noida: The air quality of Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida slipped to the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday. Weather experts said it is likely to worsen in the coming days, due to weather conditions and stubble burning in neighbouring states.

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Vasundhara in Ghaziabad turned out to be the most polluted, with the air quality index (AQI) level at 322, followed by Noida’s Sector 62 with an AQI of 321 and Greater Noida’s Knowledge Park 5 with an AQI of 315, on a scale of 0 to 500. An AQI value above 300 is considered in the ‘very poor’ category and those above 400 are considered ‘severe’. Particle pollutants – PM2.5 and PM10 – were the major pollutants.

According to data procured by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida turned out to be the most polluted cities in the national Capital region. By Sunday evening, no other city in the NCR had its AQI in the ‘very poor’ category, apart from these three.

The average PM2.5 values in certain areas of Noida and Ghaziabad during the morning hours of Sunday were found to be as high as 469 and 455 microgrammes per cubic metres, respectively, which is nine times the safe limit as per national standards. On Sunday, the AQI of Noida was 310, while for Ghaziabad it was 320 and for Greater Noida it was 301.

“We are monitoring local factors behind generation of dust and smoke. Water sprinkling on roads has been started, manual sweeping is being minimised and mechanised sweeping has been increased, though curbs such as stopping construction activities, crushers, etc., will be applicable only after AQI turns ‘severe’,” said Utsav Sharma, regional officer, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Ghaziabad.

According to officials, restrictions on diesel generator sets will be applicable only after October 15, as instructed by the Supreme Court appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention& Control) Authority.

According to weather forecaster System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), stubble burning activities in Haryana and Punjab are moderate but increasing.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the NCR has been receiving north-westerly winds which, despite being as low as 2.6 kilometre per hour, have been managing to drag in smoke from neighbouring states. Due to low surface winds and low ventilation factor, pollutants coming from outside sources (such as stubble burning) as well as the local sources like dust, are getting trapped in the region, leading to worsening of the air quality, the IMD added.