Ghaziabad/Noida: A haze continued to envelop Noida and Ghaziabad on Tuesday as the air quality for both cities remained in the “very poor” category.
In Noida, the average air quality index (AQI) at 4pm, when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) releases its national bulletin, was recorded to be 304, while for Greater Noida, it was 262 (poor) and 325 in Ghaziabad.
This was the third consecutive day that Noida remained in the “very poor” category. On Monday, the average AQI was 312, and 348 on Sunday. On Saturday, the AQI was in the “poor” category at 292.
The highest AQI on Tuesday was recorded in Sector 125 as 372, followed by Sector 116 station (308), Sector 1 (272), and Sector 62 (264).
Similarly, Ghaziabad recorded an average AQI of 325 at 4pm, the third consecutive day of “very poor” air.
On November 3, the AQI was 340, and it was 351 on November 2. The AQI was on the threshold of ‘very poor” on November 1 at 298.
On Tuesday, the station at Loni recorded the worst AQI of 383, followed by Vasundhara station (335), Indirapuram (291), and Sanjay Nagar (290).
The CPCB classifies air as “good” when the AQI is 50 or lower, as ‘satisfactory’ when it is between 51 and 100, as “moderate” when it is between 101 and 200, as “poor” when it is between 201 and 300, as “very poor” when it is between 301 and 400 and “severe”.
{{/usCountry}}The CPCB classifies air as “good” when the AQI is 50 or lower, as ‘satisfactory’ when it is between 51 and 100, as “moderate” when it is between 101 and 200, as “poor” when it is between 201 and 300, as “very poor” when it is between 301 and 400 and “severe”.
{{/usCountry}}“Meteorological factors have affected the AQI in the region, and we are intensifying pollution-abatement measures,” Ankit Kumar, regional officer of the UP pollution control board, Ghaziabad, told HT.
“Special teams have also been roped in for night patrolling in industrial areas, and enforcement action was also taken up against 10 factories using wood as fuel in Loni, Ghaziabad. We are regularly monitoring the AQI levels and taking corrective measures,” Kumar added.
Officials said that the monitoring station at Loni has been averaging in higher ranges of “very poor,” and that has been affecting the overall average AQI of other stations in Ghaziabad.
Ritesh Tiwari, regional officer for UP Pollution Control Board, Noida, did not revert to requests for comment.
As winter sets in, official CPCB data indicates that the months of October and November witness an increase in pollution.
According to Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (climate and meteorology) at Skymet Weather, “It is a trend that temperatures go down and pollution levels rise successively during the months of October, November, and December during winter.”
“These months bring shallow fog, and there is a decrease in wind speed. A mix of pollutants and fog, along with lesser wind velocity, leads to accumulation of pollution. This turns into smog and its accumulation.” He added that a western disturbance is expected on November 5 in the mountain regions with light to moderate rain in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. “After this, the northerly winds will bring in cold conditions to the plains,” Palawat added.