Air quality slips in Noida, office hub worst

Noida: The air quality continued to deteriorate in Noida and Ghaziabad on Monday due to unfavourable weather conditions. Noida's AQI remained in the ‘very poor' category at 319, compared to 313 the day before, while Greater Noida's air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor' category on Monday at 305, slipping from ‘poor' at 248 the day before. Ghaziabad's air quality saw a similar drop from ‘poor' to very poor' with an AQI of 314 on Monday against 290 the previous day.
The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) issued a bulletin on Monday stating that meteorological conditions are predicted to be highly unfavourable for the dispersal of pollutants.
Different monitoring stations in Noida recorded varying levels of air quality. Sector 62 station recorded the worst air quality on Monday with an AQI of 349, followed by Sector 116 (323) and Sector 125 (313) – all in the ‘very poor' category. Sector 1 was the only station that recorded AQI in the ‘poor' category at 290.
In Greater Noida, Knowledge Park 3 recorded an AQI of 309 while Knowledge Park 5 had an AQI of 310 – both in the ‘very poor' category. Neighbouring Ghaziabad's Loni station recorded the worst AQI in the district at 383, followed by Vasundhara at 322 – both in the ‘very poor' category. Sanjay Nagar and Indirapuram saw slightly better air quality, with both stations recording AQI in the ‘poor' category at 285 and 264, respectively.
An analysis of the first four days of Nov revealed fluctuations in air quality across GB Nagar and Ghaziabad. Noida recorded two ‘very poor' and two ‘poor' days during this period, while Greater Noida saw one ‘very poor' and three ‘poor' days. Ghaziabad saw similar air quality levels, recording three ‘very poor' days and one day in the ‘poor' category.
During the same period last year, Noida recorded two ‘very poor' and two ‘severe' days while Greater Noida saw one ‘very poor' and three ‘severe' days. Ghaziabad had fared slightly better last year, recording two days in the ‘moderate category', one in ‘very poor' and one in the ‘severe' category during the same period.
The IITM bulletin stated that there was a slight drop in maximum temperature across Delhi-NCR. As per the bulletin, on Monday wind speeds ranged from 4km to 8km per hour, with an expected increase to 5km to 15km per hour the following day. IITM officials also said that meteorological conditions were predicted to be highly unfavourable for the dispersion of pollutants in the coming days.
Meanwhile, officials from the Noida Authority said that measures were underway to combat pollution. The Authority's 45 tankers sprinkle treated sewage plant (STP) water across 150km of roads and 12 mechanical sweeping machines cover 350km of roads regularly. Additionally, 38 anti-smog guns are currently operational at various sites.
By late afternoon in Delhi, the number of stations reporting ‘severe' air had risen to 11, and to 16, by 7pm. At 7 pm, Anand Vihar was the most polluted area of the city with an AQI of 442, followed by 435 at East Delhi's Vivek Vihar. Other polluted areas included Alipur, Nehru Nagar in South Delhi, Sector-8 of Dwarka, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, and Wazirpur, among others. The city's average AQI, on a scale of 0 to 500, was 381 on Monday against 382 a day earlier. The PM2.5 level oscillated between 171.8 to 180.7 micrograms per cubic metre on Monday, against the national safe standard of 60 units and WHO's 15 units for 24 hours.
"The hazy weather is indeed smog as many areas were under severe or very poor levels. Tiny pollutants such as PM2.5 in the air can settle deep in the lungs, triggering severe health issues. During this time, when pollution levels are heightened, those with pre-existing health conditions are especially vulnerable to respiratory distress," said Shambhavi Shukla, programme manager, Air Quality Programme, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
According to the air quality early warning system, the city may see very poor air quality for the next two days, after which the AQI may turn severe. It added that low wind speed for the next few days won't favour the dispersion of pollutants. According to IITM's Decision Support System (DSS), the contribution of farm fires to the city's PM2.5 levels increased to 19.7% on Monday against 15% a day earlier.