Noida: Rain brings pollution down, air quality improves

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI reading for Noida on Monday was 45 against 288 a day earlier. Ghaziabad’s AQI reading also saw a marked improvement on Monday--45 against 310 on Sunday. Greater Noida’s AQI reading was 38 against 224 a day earlier

Noida’s air quality improved on Monday as heavy to moderate rainfall in the region brought the mercury and pollution levels down.

The rainfall also bought the region’s mercury down by over seven degrees Celsius over the past 24 hours. According to the IMD, the maximum and minimum temperatures for Noida on Monday were recorded at 23.1 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius against 30.9 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius a day earlier. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Air quality in the city has been oscillating between the “very poor” and “poor” categories for past the three days. However, authorities said, following heavy to moderate rainfall in the region over the past 24 hours, the effect of stubble burning (that takes place in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana) in Noida lessened, and dust suspended in the air settled, leading to improvement in air quality.

An air quality index (AQI) reading between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, between 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, between 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, between 201 and 300 ‘poor’, between 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and between 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI reading for Noida on Monday was 45 against 288 a day earlier. Ghaziabad’s AQI reading also saw a marked improvement on Monday--45 against 310 on Sunday. Greater Noida’s AQI reading was 38 against 224 a day earlier.

Officials at India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that while the amount of rainfall could not be recorded for Noida on Monday (a day earlier it was recorded at 22mm) because of technical issues, the Safdarjung observatory in neighbouring Delhi (considered representative for the national Capital region) recorded an average rainfall of 87.9mm over the past 24 hours.

The rainfall also bought the region’s mercury down by over seven degrees Celsius over the past 24 hours. According to the IMD, the maximum and minimum temperatures for Noida on Monday were recorded at 23.1 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius against 30.9 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius a day earlier.

At Delhi’s Safdarjung, the maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 23.9 degrees Celsius, nine degrees below the season’s average, and 20.1 degrees Celsius, two degrees above the season’s average.

“Maximum temperatures may spike, and hover around 29 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperature may be recorded at 21 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. There will be mist in the morning while the day will be cloudy,” said an official from IMD.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), the AQI reading will be good for the next 24 hours as well.

“Local land surfaces are wet and so dust re-suspension is minimum, which will lead to low PM10. Presence of western disturbance has led to scattered rainfall over north India, leading to low biomass burning. This condition improved AQI with low PM2.5. Fire counts reduced to 170... Moist surfaces inhibit re-suspension of dust which will keep AQI in ‘good’ category for next 24 hours,” said a statement by Safar on Monday.

Particulater matter (PM)10 and PM2.5 are considered the main pollutants in the region.