Gurugram air quality worsens to ‘very poor’ level, experts predict a further dip

Experts said that Gurugram’s air quality will worsen in the coming weeks, as the winds blowing from the neighbouring states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh will deteriorate the city’s air quality.

The air quality in Gurugram deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ level on Friday after it remained ‘satisfactory’ for most of the last week of September, due to intermittent rains.

Gurugram’s air quality, which hit ‘very poor’ level on October 5, 2018, is expected to deteriorate further in the coming days. (Yogendra Kumar/HT File Photo)

The air quality index (AQI) of Gurugram on Friday was 336, as per the data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), with a spike in particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) level the main cause of the pollution.

Experts said that the situation will worsen in the coming weeks, as the winds blowing from the neighbouring states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh will deteriorate the city’s air quality.

The air quality of Gurugram was in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday with an AQI of 292. On Wednesday, the AQI reading was 181, which falls in the ‘moderate’ category.

On a scale of 0 – 500, an AQI value between 200 and 300 is considered to be ‘poor’, while a value between 300 and 400 is considered to be ‘very poor’. Anything beyond 400 is considered ‘severe’.

According to Sachin Panwar, an independent air quality consultant based in Gurugram, the spike in the PM2.5 level can be attributed to the wind patterns. “Sugarcane crushing for preparing jaggery in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab has started. The winds are blowing in the direction of Delhi-NCR and are increasing the concentration of pollutants in the air,” Panwar said.

He added that stubble burning in Gurugram’s neighbouring cities and states is also to blame for the increase in pollutants. “Also, a big cyclonic movement is expected to arrive from the middle-east in the next five days or so, which will further deteriorate the air quality,” Panwar said.

Experts said the air quality index is likely to reach a reading of 600, which falls in the ‘severe’ category, and can lead to respiratory problems.

The pollution level in neighbouring Delhi also increased on Friday as wind speed dropped to almost zero. In Delhi, the air quality had just breached the ‘poor’ level on Thursday. It deteriorated further on Friday.