Air in Noida, Ghaziabad back to ‘very poor’ zone as wind speed drops

According to the air quality index (AQI) bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Wednesday, the AQI in Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Noida was 366, 312 and 325 compared to AQI readings of 268, 255 and 252 a day earlier

The ‘poor’ but significantly better air prevailing over Delhi-NCR a day ago was short-lived as low wind speed on Wednesday aggravated the pollution levels, pushing the air quality of the region to the ‘very poor’ category.

A pile of garbage was set on fire near Indirapuram in Ghaziabad on Tuesday. (Sakib Ali/HT photo)

According to the air quality index (AQI) bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Wednesday, the AQI in Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Noida was 366, 312 and 325 compared to AQI readings of 268, 255 and 252 a day earlier.

Officials of the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said the deterioration in the air quality is due to the low wind speed.

“The winds blowing in the past two days were sufficient to disperse pollutants. The wind speed dropped considerably on Wednesday. As a result, pollutants have again got trapped in the region and are not getting dispersed,” said Utsav Sharma, regional officer of UPPCB.

“Our teams are tracking the local pollution sources in different areas and also in the hotspots. The deterioration in air quality is temporary and will improve once the wind picks up speed,” he said.

Experts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said wind speed was considerably low on Wednesday. “Currently, wind is moving at a speed of 5-10kmph. This was about 15-25kmph on Monday,” said R K Jenamani, senior scientist at the IMD.

Meanwhile, the forecast by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) said on Wednesday that the local surface winds will remain relatively low for the next three days that will reduce the dispersion of pollution and lead to deterioration of air quality.

“But air quality is likely to be within ‘very poor’ category for the next two days. On November 27, local surface winds are likely to increase, resulting in improvement of air quality but expected to be within ‘very poor’ category,” said the forecast.

With the onset of winter, local weather conditions are likely to determine the air quality, added the forecast.