Low wind speed & dip in mercury turn air quality 'very poor' again in Gurgaon

GURGAON: Air quality snapped back to 'very poor' on Thursday as winds slowed down, washing away the slight gains made a day before in clearing pollutants.

The city's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 363, around 22% higher than 297 - still in the 'poor' category of the scale - clocked on Wednesday.
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According to data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality monitoring station in Section 51 recorded the highest pollution levels, with the area's average AQI at 406, in the 'severe' category.It was followed by the stations at Teri Gram (353, 'very poor') and Vikas Sadan (331, 'very poor'). Data wasn't available for the Gwalpahari station.
"Air quality has deteriorated because of the present meteorological conditions and uncontrolled emissions. Stubble burning will also begin to come down. Pollution from vehicles and industries is adding to pollution and dispersion is not happening due to calm winds," said Sunil Dahiya, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court pulled up governments for failing to curb winter pollution as every year in this season, Delhi-NCR and neighbouring regions get engulfed in toxic smog. "Something has to be done immediately," SC had said.
Satellite data by Nasa that is collated by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute recorded 47,248 instances of farm fires across six states, the majority in Punjab (31,932), between September 15 and November 16 this year.
Pollution across NCR cities is only expected to worsen in the coming days as temperatures dip and wind speed hovers around 4kmph to 6kmph, both conditions that allow smog to linger in the air.
The central government's System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) said the AQI in Delhi-NCR will remain 'very poor' or 'severe'.
On Thursday, Delhi's AQI was 'severe' (419) along with Faridabad (424). Noida (355) and Ghaziabad (376) recorded 'very poor' air days.
Doctors said on Thursday that patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions or other ailments are at higher risk of breathing discomfort.
"Long exposure to pollutants can result in eye irritation, itchy throat, sneezing, runny nose and a mild cough, even for individuals in good health. These symptoms are common among both healthy individuals and those with asthma or other medical conditions, often leading to breathlessness and difficulty breathing. Prolonged exposure, especially in outdoor work settings, can have lasting health impacts. It is very important to take precautionary measures such as wearing masks and restricting outdoor activities during such conditions," said Dr Nevin Kishore, senior consultant and head of pulmonology department at Max Hospital in Gurgaon.
Tiny pollutants PM2.5, according to doctors, are among the most damaging to health when inhaled.
The average PM2.5 level recorded at Sector 51 station was 330g/m³ on Thursday, fifty times the permissible limit of 330 g/m³ in India. At Teri Gram, it was 311g/m³ and in Vikas Sadan, 276g/m³.