Gurugram’s air quality worsens as winds change direction, mercury drops

Officials from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and the IMD attributed Tuesday’s uptick in airborne pollutants in Gurugram’s air to a drop in atmospheric temperature and a change in wind patterns.

After a day of ‘moderate’ air quality, pollution levels in the city shot up once again to ‘very poor’ on Tuesday, recording 313 on the daily Air Quality Index (AQI). This was an increase from Monday’s 191. The concentration of PM2.5 also shot up to 366ug/m3, more than six times the safe limit.

A commuter wearing mask to fight pollution on a smoggy morning near Huda City Centre metro station, in Gurugram, on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. (Parveen Kumar /HT Photo)

Officials from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed Tuesday’s uptick in airborne pollutants to a drop in atmospheric temperature and a change in wind patterns. “Winds have now started in the south-west direction, translocating pollution from the Capital towards Gurugram,” said Kuldeep Singh, regional officer, HSPCB (Gurugram). He also pointed out that air quality in Bhiwadi, which lies south-west of Gurugram, deteriorated from 242 on Monday to 319 due to this phenomenon.

Moreover, Singh said that vehicular emissions in the city have shot up post the Diwali holidays, when there was less traffic on city streets. IMD data also revealed a steep drop in daytime temperature, which decreased from 34 degrees Celsius on Monday to 31.7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, trapping suspended particulate matter closer to the ground. “The lifting of the Environmental Pollution Control Authority’s ban on construction has spurred construction activities, which are also contributing to the rise in air pollution today,” Singh said.

Despite unfavourable meteorological conditions, Gurugram remained the least polluted city in the Delhi-NCR for the sixth consecutive day, with Delhi, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad recording ‘severe’ air.

The city also saw a spell of rain late Tuesday, as predicted by the IMD. Data on the reduction in PM2.5 due to the shower was not immediately available. Foggy and misty mornings are expected to prevail for the next four days, with maximum daytime temperatures of approximately 28 degrees, according to the forecast by the IMD.