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Gurugram: Rain and a gust of wind from the southeast cleared some of the fog, giving the city its least polluted day this month as the average air quality improved to 287 – in the ‘poor’ band of the AQI scale – on Tuesday.
It was the first time in almost two weeks that the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was below 300. The last time was on October 26, when Gurugram recorded an AQI of 244, also ‘poor’.
Monday’s AQI was 305 Meteorologists said the light rain due to the influence of a Western Disturbance (a weather phenomenon that originates in the Mediterranean and triggers a low-pressure system over India) has helped settle some pollutants and dust on the ground.
It also helped that pollutants released from farm fires were not being transported to Delhi-NCR because the wind direction was from the southeast.
These conditions are expected to last till November 10 “With no westerly winds, pollutants from stubble burning areas are not flowing into NCR,” an IMD official said on Tuesday.
Data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) also said that straw burning emissions currently contribute about 9% of PM 2.5 pollution in NCR. This number was around 30% until a few days ago.
An official of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said, “The local surface wind will remain calm up to 8 kmph for the next two days… Air quality may improve further.”
Experts said this partial relief from worsening pollution levels could wane by the end of the week.
“From November 10, the region will see a slight deterioration in air quality but the AQI will remain at the low end of ‘very poor’. A drop in minimum temperature and change in wind speed will bring straw burning pollution to the NCR after November. 12, further affecting the AQI. ,” said Subhash Tiwari, research associate at the Amity Center for Air Pollution Control
Air pollution has continued to rise across NCR cities since late October. After a spell of ‘very bad’ air days, the AQI became ‘intense’ on 3 and 4 November as weather conditions and an increase in farm fires across northern India’s agricultural belt allowed pollutants to persist in the air.
Currently, the third phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is underway – under which most private construction and demolition activities have been banned. Brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers that do not run on clean fuels are also illegal, along with mining.
The strict measures, which were first implemented when air quality became ‘severe’, are still in place in neighboring Delhi, where diesel cars that do not comply with certain emission standards are still off the roads.
It was the first time in almost two weeks that the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was below 300. The last time was on October 26, when Gurugram recorded an AQI of 244, also ‘poor’.
Monday’s AQI was 305 Meteorologists said the light rain due to the influence of a Western Disturbance (a weather phenomenon that originates in the Mediterranean and triggers a low-pressure system over India) has helped settle some pollutants and dust on the ground.
It also helped that pollutants released from farm fires were not being transported to Delhi-NCR because the wind direction was from the southeast.
These conditions are expected to last till November 10 “With no westerly winds, pollutants from stubble burning areas are not flowing into NCR,” an IMD official said on Tuesday.
Data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) also said that straw burning emissions currently contribute about 9% of PM 2.5 pollution in NCR. This number was around 30% until a few days ago.
An official of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said, “The local surface wind will remain calm up to 8 kmph for the next two days… Air quality may improve further.”
Experts said this partial relief from worsening pollution levels could wane by the end of the week.
“From November 10, the region will see a slight deterioration in air quality but the AQI will remain at the low end of ‘very poor’. A drop in minimum temperature and change in wind speed will bring straw burning pollution to the NCR after November. 12, further affecting the AQI. ,” said Subhash Tiwari, research associate at the Amity Center for Air Pollution Control
Air pollution has continued to rise across NCR cities since late October. After a spell of ‘very bad’ air days, the AQI became ‘intense’ on 3 and 4 November as weather conditions and an increase in farm fires across northern India’s agricultural belt allowed pollutants to persist in the air.
Currently, the third phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is underway – under which most private construction and demolition activities have been banned. Brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers that do not run on clean fuels are also illegal, along with mining.
The strict measures, which were first implemented when air quality became ‘severe’, are still in place in neighboring Delhi, where diesel cars that do not comply with certain emission standards are still off the roads.
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