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Temperature hits new season low; AQI rises to ‘poor’
Gurugram: Dense fog engulfed the city on Thursday morning even as the minimum temperature fell to hit a new season low of 5.3 degrees Celsius, according to the India
Gurugram: Dense fog engulfed the city on Thursday morning even as the minimum temperature fell to hit a new season low of 5.3 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
On the other hand, after seven straight days of ‘moderate’ air, pollution levels in the city on Thursday soared to 298 (’poor’) on the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality index (AQI) bulletin, just two index points short of the ‘very poor’ category. This was up from 123 (’moderate’) the previous day.
Experts and officials attributed the steep rise in pollutants to a sharp drop in temperatures, combined with foggy conditions, and heavy traffic congestion at the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway.
Visibility on Thursday morning (5:30am-8:30am) was 100 metres , as per the Palam manual observatory. Visibility later improved to 500 metres around 10am, said IMD officials.
The maximum temperature too fell on Thursday to record 14.9 degrees Celsius, down from 17.8 degrees Celsius the previous day.
However, both maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to increase the next two-three days by at least two degrees Celsius, as per the IMD’s prediction.
“A western disturbance is expected that would lead to rain in the national capital region (NCR). It would also increase the maximum and minimum temperatures in the region over the weekend,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre.
Friday’s maximum temperature is expected to be around 16 degrees Celsius and the minimum is likely to be around 7 degrees Celsius.
The average 24-hour reading of PM2.5, Gurugram’s most prominent pollutant, on Thursday was 279 ug/m3, up from 127 ug/m3 on Wednesday.
Private air quality monitors, however, showed more ominous readings which veered well over the 300 mark on the AQI. A private monitor in Sector 30, for example, recorded an average AQI value of 393 on Thursday, which is just short of the ‘severe’ category. Another in Sector 55-56 recorded an average daily AQI of 386, also in the ‘very poor’ category.
Despite the steep uptick, northwesterly winds of up to 10kmph on Thursday also ensured that Gurugram remained the least polluted major city in the NCR, while Delhi, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad all recorded AQI values in the mid to upper end of the ‘very poor’ category. Neighbouring Manesar, which lies further upwind from Gurugram, recorded 222 on the AQI bulletin.
“This has to do with the direction and speed of wind, which at the moment is favourable for Gurugram district as it is blowing dust pollution toward other major cities west of Gurugram,” said Sachin Panwar, a city-based air quality scientist.
According to the early air quality warning system for Delhi-NCR, air quality is likely to deteriorate further and may reach in upper end of very poor category on Friday. Air quality is likely to improve on Saturday in case of rain, but may remain in ‘very poor’ category. However, the predicted AQI for Gurugram on Friday is 101, which will put it back in the ‘moderate’ category.
