Greater Noida, Ghaziabad see improvement in air quality; Noida remains ‘very poor’

Westerly winds have been blowing at a speed of around 10 kmph since Wednesday morning, helping disperse pollutants

The air quality across the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) saw marginal improvement on Wednesday, aided by favourable wind conditions.

Air quality improved significantly across parts of Gautam Budh Nagar and neighbouring Ghaziabad on Wednesday, aided by favourable wind conditions, though Noida continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Air quality improved significantly across parts of Gautam Budh Nagar and neighbouring Ghaziabad on Wednesday, aided by favourable wind conditions, though Noida continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category, according to official data.

At 12:05 PM on Wednesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Greater Noida stood at 290, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. In comparison, Noida recorded an AQI of 315, continuing in the ‘very poor’ range. Ghaziabad also witnessed a notable improvement, with the AQI recorded at 295 (poor) during the same period.

As per the 4 PM data, the AQI of Noida was 331 and Greater Noida’s was 310. Ghaziabad’s AQI was 308. Data from the past few days show that air quality across the three cities had remained largely in the very poor to severe range, with AQI levels repeatedly crossing the 400 mark, particularly on December 14 and 15. However, a steady improvement has been observed since Tuesday.

Meteorological conditions played a key role in the improvement, experts said. Westerly winds have been blowing at a speed of around 10 kmph since Wednesday morning, helping disperse pollutants. According to private weather forecaster Mahesh Palawat, the AQI across the National Capital Region showed signs of recovery early in the day itself. “At around 8:30 AM, the AQI was 284 in Delhi, which is still in the very poor category. With wind speeds increasing as the day progresses, air quality is expected to improve further in the region”, he said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gautam Budh Nagar recorded a minimum temperature of around 8.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday morning, while the maximum temperature was expected to settle near 24 degrees Celsius during the day. Ghaziabad also witnessed similar conditions, with the minimum temperature hovering around 8.8 degrees Celsius and the maximum forecast to reach about 25 degrees Celsius.

The IMD has forecast fog or mist during the early morning hours over the next few days, with no weather warnings issued for the district. Day temperatures are expected to hover in the mid-20s, while nights will remain cool, with minimum temperatures around 10–12 degrees Celsius.

Despite the improvement, officials and experts cautioned that air quality remains unhealthy for prolonged outdoor exposure, especially for children, the elderly and those with respiratory ailments.