Noida, Ghaziabad saw zero ‘severe’ air quality days this October

Ghaziabad: The past month was the first October in four years when air quality levels did not spike to the “severe” category in the two cities of Noida and Ghaziabad.

Ghaziabad: The past month was the first October in four years when air quality levels did not spike to the “severe” category in the two cities of Noida and Ghaziabad. According to records of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), although the air quality index (AQI) for both the cities deteriorated, it did not fall below the “very poor” category in October 2020.

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An assessment of the CPCB records by HT indicates that AQI had spiked to “severe” category in Ghaziabad and Noida in October of 2017, 2018 and 2019 but not this year. The AQI for Ghaziabad was in the “severe” category on four days in October 2018 and three days in October last year.

Explaining the possible reasons behind this year’s progress, Utsav Sharma, regional officer of the UP-pollution control board (UPPCB), said: “There were favourable meteorological conditions, as well as the fact that the festival of Diwali this year falls in November. Besides, we had taken up awareness and enforcement measures at the local level. The work for the Delhi Meerut Expressway (DME) is also nearing completion, which is another factor that helped curb pollution. But the major challenge will be seen in November when the festive season is on full swing. For this, we have identified traffic hotspots, and the administration has also given directions for strict enforcement.”

Noida had one “severe” category AQI day in October 2018 and three such days in October 2019. Last year, the festival of Diwali was on October 27, 2019, which could be one of the propellers for the rise in AQI around that time.

Greater Noida, meanwhile, had one “severe” category air quality day in October this year, and three such days in October last year, however saw no “severe” days in October 2018.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe.”

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that wind speed has been better this year, which, coupled with higher temperatures, helped in the dispersal of pollutants.

“We had wind speed of an average of about 10-12kmph, besides which mercury also remained high during the day, at an average of about 30-33 degrees Celsius. Apart from this, instances of stubble burning started early this year and not concentrated to a few days around Diwali. So, all these factors have helped the situation this year,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, New Delhi.

Experts, however, caution against letting the guard loose as commercial activities slowly regain their former strength and Diwali, when people usually burn firecrackers, is close.

“As a result of the lockdown, industrial, construction and commercial activities are yet to reach their optimum levels, besides which the weather was clearer this October due to meteorological conditions. However, it will now depend largely on the authorities to take up strict enforcement in November during Diwali days. Otherwise pollution levels will further deteriorate,” said Akash Vashishtha, a city-based environmentalist.

On the other hand, the primary pollutants of particulate matter (PM)10 and PM2.5 still remain a major cause of concern as they dipped a little this October, albeit still multiple times higher than the prescribed limits, as compared to the same period last year. According to experts, prolonged exposure to the two pollutants often result in respiratory issues, allergies besides other ailments.

In October 2019, the severity of PM10 levels had reached their highest – up to 6-6.7 times of its standard limit – at four monitoring stations in Ghaziabad. The levels were recorded in range of 3.7-5.6 times this October.

Likewise, PM2.5 also ranged 6.7-8.2 times higher than the standard limit in October, 2019 at four stations in Ghaziabad. This October, they were recorded a little lower in range of 3.6-5.4 times than the standard limits.

Similarly, PM10 levels were almost five-seven times than the standard limit in October last year at the four monitoring stations in Noida. But this year the levels came down and remained in the range of 3.6-5 times in October. Also, the PM2.5 levels in October, 2019 were 6-6.7 times higher than the standard limits but this October they were recorded in the range of 2.9-5.7 times.

The PM10 has a standard limit of 100 micrograms per cubic metre (mpcm) while PM2.5 has a standard limit of 60 mpcm.

“Our primary focus is to ensure that no garbage burning incident takes place and there is strict enforcement at construction sites. Further, during Diwali days, there are also plans for a drive for strict enforcement of traffic rules,” said Praveen Kumar, regional officer of UPPCB, Noida.