UP’s NCR cities face bleak air picture for five days

Air quality in Uttar Pradesh’s NCR cities failed to improve on Friday, with Noida, Ghaziabad and neighbouring areas engulfed in fog and smoke from early morning.

Air quality in Uttar Pradesh’s NCR cities failed to improve on Friday, with Noida, Ghaziabad and neighbouring areas engulfed in fog and smoke from early morning. With readings of 413, 406 and 419 (all ‘severe’) on the Central Pollution Control Board’s air quality index, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, respectively, the three cities were among the most polluted in the country.

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Experts have predicted dense fog between 6am and 9am over the next five days. There are chances of rain on December 12 and 13, which will improve the air quality by flushing out the pollutants and increase the minimum temperature.

Officials preached caution to commuters using DND Flyway, Noida-Greater Noida and Yamuna expressways in the morning. “The minimum temperature will oscillate between 7 and 8 degrees Celsius for the next five to six days, and the fog during the morning hours will also be dense. The visibility from 6am to 9am may shrink below 300 metres. Friday’s visibility went down to 300 metres across several parts of NCR,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre (RWMC).

Finer particulate matter, with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5), remained the major pollutant. The PM2.5 level in Noida on Friday was 240.05 microgrammes per cubic metres (ug/m3), which is four times the national safe limit of 60 ug/m3 and nine times the international safe limit of 25 ugm/m3.

“There is a western disturbance approaching and its impact will lead to snow and rains in the Himalayan states of Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh around December 10. Subsequent impact will be felt in Delhi-NCR by the weekend, which will clear the pollution and fog. The wind speed, which, currently, is negligible in the morning hours, will also increase by the weekend,” an IMD official said.

The minimum and maximum temperatures in Noida on Friday were 8.4 degrees Celsius and 24.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.