Air quality in Noida dips to ‘poor’ once again, rain likely on Oct 23

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI reading, on a scale of 0 to 500, for Noida on Wednesday was 240 against 79 a day earlier

The air quality of the region nosedived from the satisfactory to the poor category on Wednesday. Weather forecasters predicted the city may receive rain in the next few days, that is likely to improve the AQI.

Despite heavy rainfall in and around Noida on October 17, the air quality in the region only improved to the ‘poor’ category. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI reading, on a scale of 0 to 500, for Noida on Wednesday was 240 against 79 a day earlier. Similarly, Ghaziabad’s AQI rose from 77 on Tuesday to 278 on Wednesday. The AQI of Greater Noida was 260 against 278 the previous day.

An air quality index (AQI) reading between 101 and 200 is considered moderate, between 201 and 300 is considered poor, between 301 and 400 is considered very poor, and above 400 is considered severe.

According to private weather forecasting centre Skymet, the region may soon see a light spell of rainfall.

“A strong western disturbance is approaching, which may lead to heavy snowfall on the hills and rains in northern regions including Haryana, Punjab and North Rajasthan. This may also lead to rains in Delhi -NCR on October 23 and 24, that may change the direction of the wind and lead to a drop in temperatures,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president, meteorology and climate change, Skymet.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum and minimum temperature for Noida on Wednesday was 31.1 degrees Celsius while the minimum could not be recorded, against 30.1°C and 20.5°C a day earlier.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the biomass burning has increased and the air quality may drop if there are no rains.

“Fire count is 746 and its share in PM2.5 is 12%. Fire emission from upwind region enhances PM2.5 concentration as winds are from the northwest region. Stubble burning share is likely to increase in next two days if there is no rain. The overall AQI is likely to further degrade in the next three days,” said a statement issued by SAFAR on Wednesday.